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V. R. I. 

gUEEN VICTORIA 
HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 



BY 



THE MARQUIS OF T ORNE 

(now his grace the duke of Argyll) 



ILLUSTRATED 




NEW YORK AND LONDON 
HARPER S- BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

1901 



THF LIBRARY Of 
OCMGRESS, 

Two Cui-iEci HecEivEn 

NOV. y 1901 

COFVmOHT ENTRY 

CLM£ii)<a^XXc. No. 

copY a. 





1 



Copyright, 1901, by Harmsworth Brothers, Limited. 



All rights reserved. 
November, igoi. 



PREFACE 

A PREFACE is an old-fashioned thing, we are told, 
and yet modern publishers repeat the demand made 
by their brethren of Queen Victoria's early days, and 
declare that one is wanted. If this be so, I am glad 
to take the opportunity thus given to me to thank 
the publishers for the quickness and completeness 
with which the matter printed in the following pages 
was issued. Nowadays there are so many able writers 
in the field of literary activity writing volumes, or ar- 
ticles in the newspapers or magazines, that very rapid 
work is necessary if a man desires to impress readers 
with his views of a character or of an event, before 
the public have listened to others. The long waiting, 
pondering, collating, and weighing, fit for the final 
labor of the historian, is impossible to him who rapidly 
sketches in his subject for the eyes of the genera- 
tion which desires an immediate survey of the imme- 
diate past. We may deplore the fact that great themes 
cannot thus be worthily treated. The facts that are 
already public are alone those that may be dwelt upon. 
But these may be so grouped and illustrated that a first 
view of the history, in which the reader may himself 
have borne a part, can be presented to the eye. A just 
proportion also may be given to the various matters 
which have made history during the sixty or seventy 
years beyond which no man's memory may pass. 

iii 



PREFACE 

It is to be regretted that this necessity for speed and 
comparative haste makes it also necessary to be very 
brief. For in a long reign there is so much of impor- 
tance that may and should be told that the narrow 
limits of one volume, presenting pictorial as well as 
written description of our times, cannot suf6.ce. I had 
collected many interesting letters from men of mark 
telling of the great events of the hour, and had in- 
tended in this volume to give those speaking of days 
which have passed fifty years ago. But space defies 
the attempt; they are left aside, illustrative and in- 
teresting as many are. Only the strongest and high- 
est surging of the currents of those days may be picked 
out as the stream of time hurries past. 

Is it wrong to write at all when there is so much of 
what many must feel to be untoward haste? I do not 
think so, for men must be fed even though you cannot 
provide for them the best food best prepared. You 
must do all you can within the time allotted to secure 
for them the best available, or they may go farther 
and fare worse. This is the plea I would put in both 
for publishers and writer. If there is much that the 
subject of a biography has himself said or written, 
which may be presented because already public, the 
biographer is doubly fortunate in that, saying little 
himself, he can bring his readers within sound of the 
very voice to which he himself has been listening. We 
do not care to know the effect of life and events on the 
mind of a writer. We desire to hear the person whose 
life formed those events or whose existence illumined 
them. Comment on a character and the attempted 
dissection of motives and actions on the part of an 

iv 



PREFACE 

essayist or historian we must often feel to be an imper- 
tinence. Let the dead speak. Do not lecture around 
their shrines. To do so would be to confess that life 
is, indeed, a vain show. If the memory of those just 
taken from us does not suJSice for comment, we confess 
they are already half forgotten. But it will be long 
before the hurrying waves of daily or hourly business 
in the struggle of life can efface any memory cherished 
by her people, or any judgment of character formed by 
the loving countyrmen of our dear Queen. 

Fortunately, however slight must be the sketch of 
her reign, and however limited the space given for it, 
the great features of her life are described by herself, 
and the impressions made on a mind wonderfully open, 
honest, and truthful have been written down at the 
time by her own hand. It is this which reconciles me 
somewhat to the want in this volume of the letters 
giving the thoughts of the Queen's contemporaries 
on the wars, the changes in Church and State, and 
the social and literary landmarks of her days. 

To Mr. Mildred I am indebted for excellent secretarial 
work, and for the use of shorthand, which is in itself 
one of the achievements of the late reign. The em- 
bodiment of the words of the author in pictures, the 
art of illustration, exercised for quick presentation of 
the scenes that the public desire to witness, has seen 
its popular development only in our time. I am in- 
debted to Mr. G. Floyd for the judgment he has brought 
to bear on the choice of photographs, drawings, and 
pictures he has been enabled to collect for this work. 
To him is due the gathering in of most of the objects 
which have become mementoes of the days of the great 



PREFACE 

Queen. Mr. A. Rischgitz has kindly assisted by his 
wide knowledge of art. I f^ar it has not always been 
possible to trace the exact dates of some of the portraits, 
but the courtesy of those who have rights in these 
matters has been unfailing. To the proprietors of 
various periodicals I am indebted for allowing the 
reproduction of some things that have appeared in 
their pages. Above all, in this category of obligation, 
I must renew my thanks to Sir Theodore Martin, whose 
invaluable work has been largely drawn upon for the 
original documents which show the character of our 
late sovereign, as drawn by her own letters and the 
correspondence of Prince Albert. This work of Sir 
Theodore's was published at the instance of the Queen, 
who fully agreed that it was necessary that some au- 
thoritative and standard history of the transactions 
in which her Majesty and the Prince shared should 
be published to counteract the false impression that 
had been sown by gossip relative to the Prince's part 
in public affairs. 

Determined as this nation is to govern itself, it was 
always easy for the envious or malicious to sow seeds 
of suspicion in regard to the conduct of a foreigner in 
our midst who held the high place of Prince Consort. 
The silence which must veil the councils of the Minis- 
ters of the Crown, especially on foreign affairs, is pecu- 
liarly liable to breed distrust, unless there be a clear 
understanding as to the limits of influence. Where 
there is family connection or relationship with foreign 
Courts there must be private correspondence. This 
may have an immense influence for good, and work 
for the peace of the world. But necessarily secret as 

vi 



PREFACE 

it is, the public were apt to be disquieted, unless: they 
could hear and see something of what had passed, so 
that they might judge of the conduct of those likely 
to have influence in current events. The full publica- 
tion of the part taken by the Queen and Prince in sup- 
porting their Ministers abroad in enforcing British in- 
fluence and persuading foreign relatives to see matters 
in a British light, or at all events in clearly showing 
them the British position so that it might be under- 
stood, was an immense advantage to this country. 
Half the wars of the world come from misunderstand- 
ings. Half the triumphs of peace are unseen and un- 
sung because the misunderstanding has been cleared 
away by correspondence. Were there no means of 
showing to each other the minds of contending peoples 
or governments except through the official machinery 
of diplomacy, there would be a greatly enhanced danger 
of war. Battle is joined now not by the rivalries and 
ambitions of princes, but because of the discussion 
and the consequent fanning of the flame of difference 
between peoples by the Press of the opposing nations. 
To prevent the dispute from growing high enough 
to be the sport of popular winds, to damp down the 
enmities by intimate representation and explanation, 
may be the happy and unseen result of the corre- 
spondence of the wearers of the crown. Nor n^ed it 
be feared the pure national interests will thereby be 
endangered. No sovereign can retain the affection 
or trust of the people who does not show himself to be 
at least as full of the national spirit as any one of his 
subjects. He must represent himself as the national 
champion. The jealousy of foreign influence is so 

vii 



PREFACE 

marked a trait in Britain that no one would dream of 
trying to trick the country by using influence save 
through the Ministers responsible to the House of 
Commons and the constituencies. But Ministers have 
been known to be very ignorant not only of foreign 
affairs, but even of the vital conditions of our own 
dominions beyond sea. It is, therefore, possible for the 
wearer of the crown himself, if conversant with other 
rulers and other governments, to guide the counsels 
of his Ministers into channels of knowledge and of 
peace. To do otherwise would be against his own 
interest. And yet so sensitive was the country to the 
supposed influences from abroad of which they im- 
agined Prince Albert might be the instrument, that 
at the very height of his usefulness the crowds in 
London believed that he had been cormnitted to the 
Tower! The papers, letters, and conversations of 
the Prince, given to the world through Sir Theodore 
Martin, proved how absurd had been these suspicions, 
how unfounded the criticisms of the crowd. 

As one of the Queen's Ministers wrote to her early in 
1865, when it still seemed so hard for her to fight on 
alone after the loss of him who had worked so well for 
Britain, and had been so little understood — 

"We ask not Time to take thy grief away, 
Or waken memory of the joy that's gone. 
But only that the years may bring repose. 
And lead thee gently as they journey on. 

"That as he lived to whom thy life was given. 
In high communion 'midst the things of earth. 
Thou too mayst see in all things round thee here 
The dawn and promise of the second birth, 
viii 



PREFACE 

"And though the sun that does not shine on us 
May deepen shadows from the cloud above. 
Those voices sink into the soul at last 
In ceaseless witness of eternal love. 

" And so upon the torn and bleeding heart 

There come from nature and from human-kind 
From faith and patience, and from duty done, 
A holier sorrow, and the firmer mind. 

"For all the world is God's, and all its plain, 

Though scarred with sorrow and with human ills, 
Is hourly watered by the streams that flow 
Fresh from the bosom of the Eternal Hills." 

And nobly did the Queen force herself to work as 
before her loss, though she could not face as before the 
constant social representation of her ofi&ce, which had 
been made easy for her by her husband. The way that 
she had to tread had henceforth to be taken without 
the constant sense of support and efficient aid she had 
known since her marriage. The look that she gave 
to all who came before her, gathering in, as it seemed 
from the gaze, the character she desired to read, used 
to be brief, and the impression gathered from it could 
be compared, confirmed, or modified by the wisdom of 
the Prince. But now that he was no more there, her 
quiet scrutiny had to tell her more. It had to place 
in a distinct niche in her memory what she thought of 
the countenance of each person, and the after-talk on 
character could not be corrected, as before. That quiet 
examination by the open blue eyes of the Queen before 
she let speech relieve the tension gave her an insight 
into the mind of any one standing before her which 
seemed a habit formidable enough to a stranger, but 

ix 



PREFACE 

was part of the quiet method which distinguished her 
in look, judgment, and action. 

There is no doubt that the influence of her long 
life told greatly on the social manners of those open to 
the example of a Court. There is no doubt that when 
her ways and conduct were fully known and the force 
of her character recognized, a better, purer tone re- 
placed the loose and loud and drunken bearing of some 
of the society of the men of her younger days. There 
was then courtliness enough in manner around her, 
and more of finer bowing and courtesying than we can 
show now. Men and women sat up in their chairs, 
and there was not so much relaxing of the muscles 
as there is now. But there was an infinitely greater 
relaxing of the mind, and the lolling in modem arm- 
chairs before dinner is not the prelude, as was much 
of the old stateliness, to a wholly relaxed attitude imder 
the table, and a voice of well-turned compliment ex- 
changed for a vinous snore. 

The concentration of people in large towns, and the 
easy and quick communication with all parts of the 
country, and indeed with all parts of the world, have 
wholly modified the modes and manners of all. There 
is not so much individuality of character, outwardly at 
least, because the costumes, the thought, the habits 
of all have been made similar through constant inter- 
course. Even the peasant dresses which distinguished 
one part of a country from another are all but gone. 
In society it is thought extraordinary to hear a country 
accent. But the better has obtained mastery over 
the inferior. Crime is less frequent. The opportunity 
for acquiring an education is almost forced upon all. 

X 



PREFACE 

The advance in knowledge of one man through study 
and invention becomes at once the advantage and 
the property of all. When all read all may rise. All 
can see clearly how the successful man has risen. In 
the Queen's girlhood the labor of acquiring the knowl- 
edge every man of the world can now hardly escape 
possessing was sufficient to deter the commonalty. 
When there was no railway between London and 
Windsor, and no bicycle, and horseflesh gave the only 
means of quick transit from place to place, travel was 
a luxury, and a wide acquaintance with men and 
things a comparative rarity. Open a newspaper of 
1837 and see how meagre the news, and how few the 
data on which a reader could inform himself of the 
great events that might be passing. Now all that has 
happened, and a great deal of what has never hap- 
pened, is detailed, with comment, so that no one need 
be at the trouble of making up his own mind on any 
subject unless he be paid to do so in a newspaper office, 
when a "leading article" may be wanted. 

King George III. never used the Press as a means 
of communicating with his subjects. Queen Victoria 
often had her thanks to the nation conveyed to her 
people through the newspapers. Hers was the first of 
the eras in which " the thought of one is as the thought 
of all.'' Electric currents, though known for so long 
before, had never until her reign become the servants 
of man. And with the growing completeness of com- 
munication had come also the greater recognition of 
citizenship. The prison, the evil quarters of the cities, 
the condition of the poor, the treatment of the insane, 
were all changed for the better with the admission of 

xi 



PREFACE 

the main body of the people to power. Men of capacity 
and wealth had always been able to rise to places of in- 
fluence before her time, but they were not as a rule in- 
cluded in the inner circle of government by becoming 
Cabinet Ministers. Britain was represented then by 
the men whose fathers had already risen. The " self- 
made man " came only into the Cabinet in the middle of 
the nineteenth century. In all the wise changes made 
in legislative and social work the Queen took the deepest 
interest, and as far as she was permitted by the im- 
written laws of the Constitution, which exist in Eng- 
land in practice and not in parchment, her action was 
ever on the side of judicious and considerate improve- 
ment. The Queen of George III. had been strict in the 
discipline of her Court. Queen Victoria set her face 
resolutely against the attacks of the unworthy to lower 
the standard of conduct. Around her, at least, there 
should be no tampering with evil, and the sturdy moral 
wealth of the British people should be represented to the 
full in the unwritten laws of a clean and healthy tone. 
Plenty of enjoyment and fun, but in speech or charac- 
ter and company nothing low and nasty. This was 
good British common - sense, and vigorously it was 
maintained. The English love cleanliness and health- 
iness, and so did their Queen, in this a typical English- 
woman. In one word, she did all that woman and sov- 
ereign could do to influence for good all movements of her 
time. Through a moderating, wise, and motherly mind, 
she worked with effect for her countrymen in their rela- 
tions with foreign powers, in the bettering of their own 
legislation, and for the social life of the whole commu- 
nity. She made herself understood, beloved, and revered. 



CONTENTS 

PAGB 

CHAP. •■• 

Preface - 

I. Early Days ^ 

II. ACCESSION AND CORONATION 6l 

III. Betrothal and Marriage of the Queen . . 98 

IV. Early Married Life ^^^ 

V. Events of the Later Forties i54 

VI. Tours of the Queen and Prince Consort . . 182 

VII. Stirring Times of Peace and War i99 

VIII. The Death op the Prince Consort 252 

IX. From the Seventies to the Eighties .... 276 

X. The Jubilee and After 3i5 

XI. The Last Decade of the Century 326 

XII. The Queen's Homes 34o 

XIII. The Passing of the Queen 359 



Index 



373 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



THE MARRIAGE OF THE QUEEN AND PRINCE ALp 
BERT AT THE CHAPEL ROYAL, ST. JAMES'S, 

FEBRUARY 10, 1840 

(From a picture by Sir George Hayter) 
PRINCESS VICTORIA AND THE CHILD MUSICIAN . 

(From a drawing by Alec Ball) 
PRINCESS VICTORIA AND HER MOTHER IN 1834 . 

(From a drawing by Sir George Hayter) 
THE PRINCESS VICTORIA'S ADVENTURE IN THE 

APPLE-TREE 

THE PRINCESS VICTORIA AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN 
PRINCESS VICTORIA AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN . 

(From a drawing by Sir George Hayter) 
THE QUEEN RECEIVING THE NEWS OF HER 
ACCESSION AT KENSINGTON PALACE, JUNE 

20, 1837 

THE QUEEN PRESIDING OVER HER FIRST COUNCIL 

(From a painting by Sir David Wilkie, R.A.) 
THE QUEEN AT THE AGE OF NINETEEN IN HER 

ROBES OF STATE 

(From the painting by Sir George Hayter) 

THE CORONATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA . . . . 

(From the painting by Sir George Hayter) 
THE QUEEN IN HER CORONATION ROBES . . • 
PRINCE ALBERT AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-FOUR 

(From a miniature by Robert Thorburn) 

THE QUEEN IN 1840 

(From a painting by William Fowler) 

BALMORAL 

THE QUEEN IN 1842 

THE QUEEN IN 1843 

XV 



i^ 



FrontispUce 

Facing p. 24 

30 

" 38 

44 
" 56 



62 
64 

74 

78 

80 
100 

124 

140 
146 
150 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

ONE OF THE QUEEN'S EARLY DRAWING-ROOMS . Facing p. l6o 
(Krom a picture by A. E. Chalon, R.A.) 

THE QUEEN IN 1845 ^7° 

(From a painting by John Partridge) 

QUEEN VICTORIA'S MOTHER " I78 

(From a picture by Winterhalter) 
PRINCE ALBERT IN THE ROBES OF THE GARTER " I90 

(From the painting by Winterhalter) 
THE PRINCE CONSORT IN THE UNIFORM OF A 

FIELD MARSHAL " 200 

THE PRINCE OF WALES AND PRINCE ALFRED 

IN 1849 " ^°* 

PRINCE ALBERT IN 185I " ^12 

THE QUEEN IN 1851 " ^3© 

THE QUEEN WITH H.R.H. THE PRINCE CONSORT 

IN i860 " 240 

THE QUEEN IN 1855 ^^ ^4° 

THE LOWER WARD, WINDSOR CASTLE .... " 270 
THE GREEN DRAWING-ROOM, WINDSOR CASTLE " 286 
THE QUEEN AT THE AGE OF SIXTY-SIX .... " 300 
THE AUTHORIZED DIAMOND JUBILEE PHOTO- 
GRAPH OF THE QUEEN 

THE QUEEN IN THE DRESS WORN BY HER AT 

THE JUBILEE SERVICE, 1887 330 

THE FOUR GENERATIONS 350 

Taken in 1894, at White Lodge, Richmond Park, on the occa- 
sion of the baptism of the eldest chUd of H.R.H. the Duke 
of York 



316 



VICTORIA R. I. 

HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 



VICTORIA R. I. 

HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 



CHAPTER I 
EARLY DAYS 

I WRITE at a moment of deepest sorrow. I am told 
that the words that fill in these pages must tell now more 
than they were intended to tell of the life of the great 
Queen just lost to us. 

A rapid survey of the history of the century had been 
prepared. Now such a sketch would be colorless and 
of little interest were the presence of the mother of her 
people not felt throughout the events of her reign. It 
is good that this feeling exists. It is a benefit to a nation 
when all men and women can look on the head of the state 
with a human interest. It is well that love and sympathy 
should attend the sovereign, that no mere formal obeisance 
be made to one who in herself has represented what is 
best in the history of her time. 

The virtues of a nation are the seed of victories. With- 
out the love of hearth and home, the success of arms can 
only be a passing glamour. From the strong are strong 
men bred. A people forsaking private and public honor, 
and yielding to vanity and license, may be artists, but not 
conquerors. A dwindling population and a fraudulent 
government will mark its decline. Where scope exists 
to give an example which will feed the national power 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

by the silent teaching of virtue, one individual man or 
woman may hold the highest mission. 

The occupant of a throne has in Britain such an oppor- 
tunity; and most noble, most regal, and most womanly 
has been the Queen's example for the space of the lives 
of two generations. God be thanked for this! Under 
the sway of our dear mother He has allowed this nation 
to be strong in commerce and in colonies. He has blessed 
it with so manifest an increase that its sons, who have 
gone over sea founding nations in other lands, have ever 
turned to the old country for a model whereon to build the 
new fortunes, fed by new resources in regions altogether 
unknown to the spacious times of great Elizabeth. 

And to our Queen, whose reign has lasted so long that 
the memory of few now living could recall its beginning, 
was justly ascribed all majesty and honor in fostering and 
in furthering the wondrous increase which seemed to 
speak the blessing of God. In other lands and under other 
reigns, if a man did anything base, he could say that no 
man need think evil of his conduct, in that the highest 
in the land did likewise. With us, through sixty years, 
it might always be held an incentive to worthy conduct 
that the head of the State lived a pure and noble life. Her 
conduct has been a light and guide, and up to the last 
she has done her work, ever laboring for the welfare of 
her people. The end has come quickly, after a long life 
filled with duty done. It has been the sudden quenching 
of the light of a planet where, as in the tropics, the bright 
dawn of day comes with little warning. 

Before we enter upon the life of the Queen we must see 
into what kind of an English world that life entered. The 
long reign of George III. closed on January 29, 1820, and 
his son, who was known to his friends as the " first gentle- 
man of Europe," succeeded him. Society was full of 
discussions on the subject of the disagreements between 
the King and his wife. There was a conspiracy against 
the ministers of the most desperate kind, and it was only 
owing to a secret warning given to one of the political 

2 



EARLY DAYS 

leaders that the objects of the conspirators were defeated. 
A man who had served as a subaltern ofl&cer in the West 
Indies, named Thistlewood, had returned to England, 
after having resided in France, where he had become a 
revolutionist and demagogue. He had actually sent a 
challenge to Lord Sidmouth after insulting him, and, 
furious that it was not accepted, determined to try other 
means of revenge. He gathered around him a reckless 
crew. The plot they hatched was one which certainly 
implied the sacrifice of their own lives ; for, as they were 
a mere handful in number, it was not likely that such 
open outrage as they contemplated would have allowed 
them to escape. A certain number were to devote them- 
selves to the assassination of the ministers, another party 
were to seize upon the artillery in London, while the Mansion 
House, which was to be seized, was to be fortified by the 
guns they had taken, and then an attack was to be made 
upon the Bank, while incendiary fires should distract 
the attention of the troops and the police. Happily 
this conspiracy failed, and its authors received their 
deserts. 

Taxation had been very high since the great war with 
France. One shape which these imposts took was particular- 
ly disliked, in that it took the form of a tax on light. For 
every window used it was necessary to pay so much, the 
result being that windows were bricked up and houses 
darkened to escape the tax. The sovereign's income 
was then £1,057,000. Our navy cost us five and a half 
millions a year. 

The questions with regard to giving a more equal meas- 
ure of power, according as towns might possess a small 
or large number of people, were already rife. This ques- 
tion of so-called reform continued until far into Queen 
Victoria's reign. Lord Wellesley, the brother of the famous 
Duke of Wellington, was Governor and Viceroy of Ireland, 
and it is to be noted, with some curiosity, that the family 
originally, as did Wellington himself in his early years, 
signed themselves "Wesley." The name was the same 

3 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

as that of the famous preacher who founded so large a re- 
ligious community, and it is not clear why "Wellesley" 
was assumed in preference. Mr. Canning had been nomi- 
nated Governor-General of India, a post which would take 
him away from participation in home politics for a time. 
The great Napoleon was about to die at St. Helena in the 
midst of a terrible storm of thunder and lightning; and, 
amid the volleying discharge of the thunder, he seemed 
to imagine that he was again on a field of battle, the last 
words those around his bed could hear being: "Tite 
d'Armee." Then, again, " Fils" and "France." 

In 1821 the King visited Ireland, where there was great 
overcrowding of the people upon poor land. They imagined 
that the mere coming of the King might bring about a 
great change, for it is ever a characteristic of Celtic people 
to expect the governments and their leaders to do more 
for them than they can ever do for themselves, and dis- 
appointment was proportionately keen when it was ap- 
parent that the royal visit could not counterbalance the 
failure of the potato crop. But the British government 
placed half a million at once at the disposal of Lord Welles- 
ley, and enormous subscriptions were sent from England 
to Ireland to mitigate the sufferings of the people, ag- 
gravated by fever — a sure comrade of famine. 

The personal presence of the King both in Ireland and 
in Scotland had created a most favorable impression. 
His manner was most gracious, and his tact in conversa- 
tion unfailing. Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm 
that was shown at Edinburgh when, in 1822, he landed 
at Leith, being welcomed there by an immense throng 
who went with him up to Auld Reekie. He wore a High- 
land dress of red Stuart tartan, a close-fitting jacket being 
of the same pattern as the kilt, a proceeding based upon a 
somewhat fruitless emulation of the Pretender — his cousin 
— of a previous generation. 

An incident that shows the difference between the suc- 
cess of our excise administration of the present day, in 
contrast to its inefficiency in some respects in those days, 

4 



I 



EARLY DAYS 

occurs to me as having been mentioned by an old servant 
in a house on the Clyde. Describing the success with 
which smugglers brought in spirits, and also the ease 
with which it was possible to get illegally made whiskey 
without payment of the duty, he said that George IV. had 
been told by George Duke of Argyll that the best whiskey 
was that made in secret. The King asked him if he could 
procure any, and he undertook to do so. The native 
whiskey-makers were communicated with through some 
secret friend, and were told that a good cask was wanted. 
They, on their part, stipulated that the Duke must go m 
a boat alone to the base of a certain ravine where they 
would meet him, and, appearing according to promise, 
a good-sized cask was brought down in the darkness to 
the boat, which was shoved off, and in due time the cargo 
was presented to the King, "the fountain of law, order, 
and government," at Edinburgh, and the illegal contents 
" (Jiscussed. 

Among the events of the last years of this King's life 
was the war undertaken by the Indian government against 
Burma, a country destined to be annexed to the British 
Empire late in the Queen's life, when Lord Dufferin was 
Viceroy of India. 

The Greeks, having risen against the Turks, fell before 
the cruel onslaught of Ibrahim Pasha, and the movement 
with which the great poet Lord Byron had associated 
himself ended in blood and ruin. The Turks did a great 
deal of damage at Atnens to the Parthenon, damage which 
was never sought to be repaired. It was the ruined con- 
dition of the building which led, in after years, Lord Elgin 
to secure for the British Museum the famous marbles which 
at that time seemed destined to become a prey to neglect, 
if they even escaped being burned for lime or destroyed 
by an enemy. Most of the remains of Attic art taken by 
Elgin arrived safely in England, but one vessel, with 
many noble objects of sculpture and decoration, suffered 
shipwreck off Cerigo. It is only within the last few months 
that diving operations, at the instance of the King of 

5 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Greece, have been undertaken, and bronze statues worthy 
of the best period of Greek art have been rescued from the 
water to fill places in those fine museums which it has been 
the privilege and the pride of the King of the Hellenes to 
see established on the famous centres of ancient Greek 
life and action. 

Another of Queen Victoria's uncles, the Duke of York, 
died in 1827. It was he who built the fine house at the 
corner of the Green Park and Pall Mall, known to our genera- 
tion as Stafford House. The Duke had not been so careful 
in money matters as he was in military administration, 
and being unable to finish the building it was bought by 
the Duke of Sutherland, who added the whole of the top 
story, and decorated with the most excellent taste the hall 
and the fine rooms surrounding it on the two first floors. 

The Duke of York's funeral was said to be the cause of 
Mr. Canning's death, which took place after a period of 
vigorous participation in public affairs. He was called 
the first debater and the most dexterous wit of the House 
of Commons. 

The coming of a new reign was heralded by a bill being 
introduced to allow a stamp to be used for the King's sign 
manual, for George IV. was near the end of his days, and 
the signing of so many documents was painful to him. 
Nothing is more remarkable, as showing the devotion to 
duty of Queen Victoria, than the extraordinary number 
of documents which were always signed by her. She wrote 
easily a fine handwriting. In spite of the daily necessity 
of writing so many letters, her handwriting was always 
clear and legible, exhibiting the determined character of 
the hand which guided the pen. It was seldom that papers 
accumulated in arrear of work, and quite to the end it 
was remarkable how seldom any document waited for the 
sign manual. It was a most unwonted circumstance that 
a batch of Queen's Counsel had to wait for their "silks," 
because the signatures necessary for their assumption of 
the honor had, owing to her illness, not been given. 

George IV. bravely met the intimation of the doctors 

6 



EARLY DAYS 

that they could not divert the stroke of death, calmly an- 
swering, "God's will be done," and then receiving the 
sacrament. He lingered for some more days, dying on 
the night of Friday, June 25th. He shortly before feebly 
called to an attendant: "O God! I am dying!" 

His brother, the Duke of Clarence, William IV., who 
succeeded him, told the members of the cabinet that he 
was anxious their services should be continued, a token 
of good-will which did not prevent them from resigning 
shortly afterwards. Bluff, sailor-like, outspoken, and 
wanting the refinement in manner of his brother, he was 
yet calculated to win more popularity. His chief pleasure 
had been in entertaining at a very generous table, and he 
continued throughout his reign to be so hospitable that 
it was calculated that he gave, on an average, dinners 
to some thousands of his acquaintances every year. He 
naturally delighted in having his old messmates of the 
navy under his roof. Under Canning he had accepted 
the position of Lord High Admiral, being reckoned there- 
fore to have taken office under that minister. His was the 
last tenure of that office, which has since remained in 
abeyance, the work being performed by the Board of 
Admiralty. This body has always contained among 
its members many of the best of the superior officers of 
the navy. They have always been able to meet together 
in consultation, so that the professional opinion of the 
service has always been made immediately to bear upon 
the civil head, the First Lord of the Admiralty, who rep- 
resents, in Parliament, ministerial responsibility for the 
efficiency of the navy. Many, therefore, in the army 
looked to the efficiency of the navy as having been greatly 
promoted by the free consultation, and therefore by the 
corporate action, of the professional rulers of the navy 
at Whitehall. The King was always thoroughly in touch 
with the spirit of the service. Not only all the admirals 
were asked, as a matter of course, to his table, but many 
others who had not attained that rank, but who were able 
to speak of ancient memories common to them and to the 

7 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

King. It was said that a nautical freedom prevailed at 
his house, a freedom which gave a peculiar heartiness to 
the conversation, and dignity was sometimes lost sight of. 
It was even declared that the King, the " fountain of honor," 
had once made a joke on the sacred subject of his own 
decorations. A gentleman had troubled him often for 
some distinction, he had complained, but the King con- 
tinued: "You know how I got rid of him? I made him a 
Knight of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order." "Serve him 
right, sir," exclaimed an admiral present, amid much 
laughter. 

The King Uved much at Bushey Park, a melancholy 
place except in summer, when all the neighborhood of 
London is pleasant, and the proximity of Hampton Court 
and the fine chestnut avenues made Bushey pleasant 
among other places. The ground about the house is 
very flat and damp in winter. There are some fine clumps 
of evergreens in the gardens, dedicated apparently to the 
Goddess of Dulness. There are excellent stables, and 
the King lived there verj^ happily. He had by his marriage 
two girls, who both died when babies, and it became evi- 
dent that the Princess Victoria might succeed to the crown. 

During this period important revolutions took place 
in France and in the Netherlands. Charles X. of France 
was held to be despotic and bigoted, and he was compelled 
to fly to England. The disturbances in the Netherlands 
finally ended in separation between the Dutch and the 
Belgians, and the constitution of the Belgian monarchy 
ended in a Coburg — a relation of Prince Albert's — being 
called to the throne under the title of King Leopold. This 
King, the father of the present occupant of the throne at 
Brussels, was notable for the coolness of his judgment, 
and throughout his life he was a most sincere and valuable 
friend to Queen Victoria. His knowledge of England was 
great, for he had been chosen as the husband of Princess 
Charlotte, the daughter of George IV., who, until the 
death of herself and her child, was the heir to the English 
throne. 

8 



EARLY DAYS 

The year 1819 seems far away. In many respects the 
changes have been enormous, and yet many of the discus- 
sions upon the questions of the day seem very familiar. The 
machinery of government worked smoothly enough. Gov- 
ernment succeeded government according to the success 
of their respective parties in obtaining majorities in the 
House of Commons. Lnportant as Parliamentary history 
is, it is somehow very dull to read, except at times of crises. 
Just as it is tiresome to listen to an old politician's anecdotes 
of the House of Commons, so it is difficult to interest the 
casual reader in the talk in the Upper or Lower House 
unless any speeches immediately effected mighty political 
movements. 

It was said, in describing broadty the reigns of the last 
three kings, that public and private virtue had especially 
signalized the sixty years of George III. upon the throne. 
While this could not be said of his successor, George IV., 
it was held that his days were notable for national glory- 
in victories obtained by sea and bj?" land. And William 
IV., when he became King, although not before, maj^ be 
said to have shown the blessings of kindness and to have 
enjoyed happiness. 

In the metre much used in the poetry of the day. Miss 
Knight wrote : 

" Of George the Third's long and arduous sway 

A reign of worth and virtue we may name ; 
With George the Fourth we see our isle display 

The brilliant scenes of victory and fame ; 
Affection's kind domestic joj^s we view 

In our late William's short benignant reign. 
Oh! may our Queen her grandsire's steps pursue. 

And love and glory as reward obtain. 
Possessing in all British hearts the place 

Her noble ancestors so justly won; 
And may the honors of the Brunswick race 

Resplendent shine coeval with the sun." 

It is wonderful with what indifferent poetry the court 

9 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

of the Georges was satisfied. The flame of Byron, the 
trumpet notes of Campbell, the ringing verse of Scott, 
could not entitle them to the laureateship. It was held 
that anybody would do for that, much as the late William 
Morris opined. 

In painting, also, the pleasing vanities of William 
Beechey were preferred to the stronger character that the 
brushes of his more distinguished fellow-painters placed 
upon the canvas. 

The Queen's life of eighty-two years began just as her 
grandfather's equally long life came to a conclusion. 
Thus these two lives cover a space of over one hundred 
and sixty years. Yet the steadfastness of the English 
character, and the excellence of the Constitution the nation 
had built up for itself, showed throughout this long period 
in loyalty to the throne. Any differences in politics be- 
tween rival parties in the state were comparatively trifling, 
so that a foreign critic exclaimed in envy, " What are your 
differences? They are merely shades of variation." 

When the Queen first saw the light it was only four 
years after the battle of Waterloo, when the establishment 
of peace, after the great war, was to last for many a long 
day. Not that there lacked occurrences which would have 
led to events of greater gravity in other countries, and 
which produced anxiety in this. 

As we have seen, the state of Ireland was not one that 
could be looked upon with satisfaction, and in Britain 
trade had seldom known a time of greater stagnation. 

It was said that the death of the Princess Charlotte, 
and the consequent failure of her direct succession to the 
crown, induced several of the royal family to enter into 
matrimonjT'. The Duke of Clarence was accepted by the 
Princess of Saxe-Meiningen ; the Duke of Kent by the 
Dowager Princess of Leiningen, sister of Prince Leopold; 
and the Duke of Cambridge by the Princess of Hesse. 
Parliament voted sums for these several couples to main- 
tain the dignity of their position. 

There is no one now alive who could tell us much from 

10 



EARLY DAYS 

personal memory of his recollections of the father of Prin- 
cess Victoria. 

The Duke of Kent's tutor had been the same Dr. John 
Fisher who afterwards taught Princess Charlotte. The 
Duke had led a very varied life, for at seventeen years of 
age he left England for Hanover, where he entered the 
Hanoverian army, well known even then among German 
armies as favoring an iron discipline. He used to tell how, 
being placed as a cadet at Hanover, the regiment at duty 
was dismissed in the usual form after parade. "But," 
he wrote, "the general commanding happened to forget 
to dismiss me from the post I had been ordered to take up 
— such dismissal being always accompanied by a distinct 
and peculiar ceremony — ^and I continued in a very uneasy 
position. I was actually forgotten for four hours, when 
the commanding of&cer rode up and apologized. I should 
have remained but for this at my post until I should have 
fainted from fatigue. " 

From Hanover he went to Geneva, by direction of his 
parents, but he returned to England without their leave. 
For this proceeding he was dismissed to Gibraltar, and 
in 1791 was ordered to Canada, sailing thence to the West 
Indies to join Sir Charles Grey. He displayed conspicuous 
gallantry at the capture of Guadeloupe and Martinique. 
Three years later he went to Canada, serving as major- 
general at Halifax till 1798. 

He much enjoyed the sports of that interesting coast, 
indented with so many bays cutting into its well-wooded 
and rocky scenery. He hunted deer and moose in the 
back country, made many expeditions to see his old friends 
at Quebec, and was popular with every one with the ex- 
ception of some of the men immediately under his own 
command. 

With one of these old friends. Colonel De Salaberry, 
he ever afterwards kept up a correspondence. The colonel 
was in command of the forces which came into collision 
with invaders at Chateaugay. The invasion was checked 
through the ability of the French Canadian leader. His 

II 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

family still possess many letters from the Duke, who 
had a great desire to be nominated Governor-General of 
Canada. 

A fall from his horse made the Duke return to England, 
and in his thirty-second year he obtained his peerage and 
the title of Duke of Kent, with £12,000 a year to support 
the dignity. He was general and commander-in-chief 
in Canada again until 1800, when ill-health made him 
return home. 

But, intent upon pursuing his military career, he under- 
took the governorship of Gibraltar, where there was a large 
garrison. He is described as usually rising before the 
sun, abhorring the excesses of the table, sober almost to a 
fault, and punctual in the discharge of duties, however 
numerous and exacting. He never asked for anything he 
was not ready himself to do. Yet it was found quite im- 
possible for the soldiers to imitate his self-discipline. 

He was specially particular in regard to dress and all 
the minutiae of uniform. No one was allowed to wear his 
hair except according to an exact pattern. Incessant 
parades and very strict punishment made his friends in 
vain give him hints that the discipline was too rigid. He 
had much to say on his side why soldiers should be thor- 
oughly brought under control. Thej^" were slovenly and 
insubordinate, the people had complained frequently of 
the conduct of members of the garrison, and intoxication 
had been only too common. 

The Duke shut up the wine houses, confined the troops 
to barracks, and insisted upon reports being made in all 
cases of inebriety. At the end of twelve months of this 
vigorous action a conspiracy was fortunately discovered 
just in time to prevent the assassination of the command- 
ing officer. 

The feeling among the troops was so hostile to him 
that it was considered better to have a change, and he re- 
turned to England in 1803. Certain it is that, with merits 
superior to his brothers, he was kept without his peerage 
longer than any of them; he was kept away from home, 

12 



EARLY DAYS 

and the help given to others of the family who were in 
debt was denied to liim. 

In order to economize, he settled at Brussels in i8i6, 
and it was from that city that he made an excursion 
into Gennany, and met Princess Victoire Marie Louise, 
youngest daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg. She 
had married Prince Charles of Leiningen, a man greatly 
her senior, who on his death had appointed his widow 
regent of his principality. When the death of the Princess 
Charlotte in England made it necessary for the Duke of 
Kent to think of marriage, he turned to the Princess of 
Leiningen, and they were married at Coburg in May, 
1818. After complying with the conditions of the royal 
marriage act, they lived at Amorbach, not far from Heidel- 
berg, and, desiring that the child of their marriage might 
be born in England, came to London two months before 
that event, lack of means preventing an earlier journey. 
The Duke of Kent drove the carriage himself the whole 
way through Germany to the coast, and after the arrival 
in England he again took the reins. 

He continued the same exact life in England. The 
Duke rose very early, and it was said that one servant 
had to remain up in order to call him in the morning, not 
being allowed to go to bed until he had lit an early fire 
in the dressing-room. At six o'clock a cup of coffee was 
brought by one man, and another removed the tray. This 
was according to a system which obliged all the servants 
to make their appearance in turn. 

A bill of the expenses of the previous day was next 
brought by the house steward, all items being carefully 
classed. All the bills were numbered. Attention, clean- 
liness, and smartness were insisted on. So as to give 
separate signals to the five persons who were regularly in 
attendance, there were five bells, each for a separate person. 
Mr. Canning is said to have liked this arrangement so 
much that the Kensington Palace bell system was copied 
at the Treasury. 

The Duke was fond of having many clocks with musical 

13 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

chimes, so that one might be audible in every apartment. 
He was always active in charitable work, scarcely ever 
refusing to help any well-known and established institu- 
tion, although himself frequently pressed for money. 

One of the doctors who attended him said that his last 
words to his wife were : " Act uprightly, and trust in God." 

There was nothing in the state of the country to make 
the parents of the expected child do anything but rejoice 
at the great prospects which might open to their ofTspring. 
The Duke and Duchess of Kent came at a time of the year 
when London was looking its best, when the parks were 
full of well-equipped carriages with horses coveted and 
bought by all the world. Much attention had already 
been given to those which had to work in harness as well 
as to the racers and the hacks, which were acknowledged 
to be the best in the world. 

The beautiful alleys of Kensington Gardens were get- 
ting into leaf. The white blossoms of the chestnuts and 
the red and white of the may were only just coming into 
bloom, and the wonderful greenness so characteristic of 
England was already mantling the country. The pleas- 
ant apartments, looking on the one side to the High Street 
of Kensington, which then was bordered by houses not 
built so high as to overlook the gardens, had been arranged 
for the Duke and Duchess. The set of these rooms swept 
round to the eastward, where another private garden looked 
towards the Round Pond and Hyde Park. 

It was in one of these that the Duchess took up her abode, 
and it was here that Princess Victoria was born. All the 
old palace was full of historical memories. The higher 
main block of buildings, wdth brick pilasters and crowned 
by the great decorated vases in the centre of the south 
front, had been completed by William the Third after the 
melancholy death of his wife, who died of small-pox in a 
room facing the main court. You may read the date of 
this building from the stamp on the leaden water-pipes. 
Formerly it was the custom to stamp with initials not only 
one's water-pipes, but even one's wine bottles. Each bottle 

14 



EARLY DAYS 

was stamped on the shoulder, and each water-pipe wa^ 
stamped in every joint with the initials of the person to 
whom the house belonged. Double "R's," standing for 
Rex and Regina, with the "M" of Mary and the " W" of 
William between them, formed a cipher, like two joints of 
one of the sliding folding-gates which nowadays bar the 
access to lifts in houses. Thus, if these evidences have 
been allowed to remain on any buildings, you may tell the 
age of the wall by the plumber's work upon it. 

Stretching above the southern rooms which the Duke 
and Duchess occupied was the great gallery called the 
King's, where King William III., after his return from 
Hampton Court, where he had been hurt by the fall of his 
horse, had thought himself sufficiently recovered to take 
a walk on the arm of his physician. It was there that a 
sudden shivering attacked him, and from thence he retired 
to the bed which he was never more to leave alive. It was 
in a room at the head of the open staircase, which was 
afterwards replaced by a marble one, that the Jacobite 
members of the Privy Council had assembled when Queen 
Anne was dying — in one of the rooms in which the Queen's 
toys are now exhibited — with the intention of proclaiming 
Queen Anne's brother, known to his Protestant adver- 
saries as the Old Pretender, as Charles III. It was there 
that this Jacobite cabal had been surprised by seeing the 
doors suddenly thrown open and the figures of the Whig 
Dukes of Argyll and Somerset appearing uninvited to 
take their places at the table and to thwart their intentions. 
Thackeray, who long afterwards lived in a house near 
the present barracks, tells how these dukes foiled the con- 
spiracy which had been carefully matured. The Jaco- 
bites had gone so far as to bring the Pretender over to Lon- 
don, and arranged an interview for him with the Queen 
in the grounds of the palace. Certain it is that she was 
seated in these grounds and gardens in front of the old 
Orangery, recently restored, when the Duke of Hamilton 
brought to her the agreement which consummated the 
legislative union between England and Scotland. The 

15 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

palace had been built hastilj^ in King William's time be- 
fore his return from Ireland. The somewhat heavy panel- 
ling and cornices — to be seen also in Castle Howard — may 
be witnessed even now as William and Anne saw them 
executed entirely in oak. The woodwork is the best thing 
in the house, but the material of the yellow bricks was 
poor and not calculated to stand, while the cornice and all 
the parts finished in superior red brick have until the pres- 
ent day well withstood the effects of the ever-increasing 
murkiness of the London air. The chimney-pieces are 
almost all of marble, with a great bevelled moulding, but 
with no marble shelf. They are surmounted by oak pan- 
elling, on which hung pictures, a fine collection of which 
filled the rooms. 

The whole of the space to the south down to Kensington 
High Street on the one side, and to the east up to the 
Orangery, was taken up by carefully planted flower-beds 
arranged in symmetrical pattern. The old black and 
white marble pavement had long disappeared from before 
the Duchess of Kent's rooms, gravel and sward taking 
its place. The love of the royal family for the place had 
continued after the law of the Protestant Succession had 
given the throne to George I. It was from here that his son 
started out to take part in the campaign, the last in which 
an English monarch appeared personally in the field, 
which was distinguished by the bloody battle of Detting- 
en. He shared his father's liking for Kensington, and 
added considerably to the comfort of its apartments. The 
range of rooms that the former sovereigns had inhabited 
included the long ballroom, with its coved ceiling, still 
known as the Queen's Wing, and at the far end of this 
long apartment, then lit by a double row of windows, was 
a wonderful and gigantic musical box. The great brass 
rollers, studded with pins to give forth the tunes for this 
complicated piece of machinery, were arranged in orna- 
mental cabinets between the windows throughout the east- 
ern side of the room. In the smaller rooms Frederick, 
Prince of Wales, had his little dmners and suppers, and a 

i6 



EARLY DAYS 

picture hangs in one of them depicting such a scene. One 
of the guests is pouring wine from one glass into an- 
other, the lower being held at a great distance from the 
upper in the manner of an American bartender compos- 
ing a "cocktail." 

George II. died here, and it was to the good taste of his 
Queen that we owe the existence of the Round Pond. 
George III. did not care to live so far from town, nor did 
his successors, and the state rooms had until recently 
been allowed to moulder into decay. The last time that 
there was any considerable number of people inhabiting 
the old palace was on the occasion of the great Exhibi- 
tion of 1 85 1, when a large body of troops were quartered 
within the precincts. 

In George II. 's time the surroundings of the palace 
were kept private, and the King is said to have been robbed 
by a footpad. When he was taking a walk near the palace, 
a man suddenly appeared from over the wall which then 
bounded not onh'- the west side, but was continued along 
the High Street, where opposite to the centre of the palace 
a large stone alcove, now removed to the Serpentine, for- 
merly stood. The robber is reported to have been polite 
enough to apologize for finding the King alone, and for 
his own necessities, which obliged him to ask his sovereign 
to give up the watch he wore, as well as the silver shoe- 
buckles ornamenting his "pumps." 

It was on April 15, 181 9, that the Duke and Duchess 
of Kent arrived in England from Germany and took up 
their abode at Kensington Palace, where, on May 24th, 
the Duchess gave birth to a girl. 

The christening was the occasion of a large gathering 
a month later. The beautiful gold font was placed on a 
table in the Grand Saloon. The Archbishop of Canterbury 
officiated with the Bishop of London. Alexandrina Vic- 
toria were the names given, but they were too long to be 
commonly used, and the second of these was that chosen. 
Familiar as the word is now to us, it seemed at that time 
to be long and fanciful when men's ears had become ac- 

B jy 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

customed to the Georges and the Charlottes. Sir Walter 
Scott, who saw the child and her mother, wrote that he 
hoped the name would be changed — a wish that none of 
us nowadays would repeat. 

The sponsors were the Prince Regent; the Emperor 
Alexander, represented by the Duke of York; the Queen 
Dowager of Wurtemberg, represented by Princess Augusta ; 
and the Duchess Dowager of Coburg, represented by the 
Duchess of Gloucester. The Prince Regent and all the 
royal family were present either at the service or after- 
wards at the dinner given by the Duke of Kent. All 
day long carriages thundered under the old archway sur- 
mounted by the ciphered wind-vane put up by William 
and Mary; or, if they had no pass for the court-yard, 
discharged their passengers at a door situated near the 
present white colonnade, which brought them through the 
long corridor to the black and white marble hall and stair- 
case leading to the great reception-rooms. 

The royal baby was duly vaccinated, proving that 
Jenner's great discovery had received the full confidence 
of the public. 

The Princess began her military experience at the age 
of four months, when she was taken to a review at Houns- 
low Heath in her father's carriage. That same autumn 
witnessed the birth of her future husband. Prince Albert, 
who was born at Rosenau on August 26th. Bishop Fulford, 
of Montreal, in Canada, speaking long afterwards, said 
he remembered walking at Kensington in that year, and 
his appearance must have inspired the confidence of the 
baby's nurse, for he was allowed to stop her in order to 
have a look at the baby in her arms. And the next year 
Mr. Wilberforce, the famous abolitionist, and father of 
the eloquent Samuel, Bishop of Oxford and Winchester, 
says that in consequence of a very civil message from the 
Duchess of Kent he waited on her in the morning. She 
received him with her fine animated child on the floor by 
her side with its playthings, of which, he declares, he 
soon became one. 

18 



EARLY DAYS 

In the autumn the Duke and Duchess took the baby to 
Sidmouth. "Two or three evenings before/' wrote one 
of the Duke's friends, " I was at Kensington Palace, and 
on my rising to take leave, the Duke intimated his wish 
that I should see the infant Princess in her crib, adding, 
'As it may be some time before we meet again, I should 
like you to see the child and give her your blessing.' The 
Duke preceded me into the little Princess's room, and on 
my closing a short prayer that as she grew in years she 
might grow in grace and in favor both with God and man, 
he responded in an emphatic Amen. Then he continued, 
'Don't pray simply that hers may be a brilliant career, 
and exempt from those trials and struggles which have 
pursued her father, but pray that God's blessing may 
rest on her, that it may overshadow her, and that in all 
her coming years she may be guided and guarded by 
God.'" The Duke and Duchess were delighted with the 
picturesque scenery of their Devonshire abode. The 
place that they lived at was called Woolbrook Cottage, 
and here the first peril in Princess Victoria's life came 
to her from a mischievous boy, who was sparrow-shooting 
outside the windows, and who accidentally fired into the 
nursery, some of the shot passing within a few inches of 
the child's head. 

The Duke of Kent wrote : " My little girl thrives under 
the influence of a Devonshire climate, and is, I am delighted 
to say, strong and healthy; too healthy, I fear, in the 
opinion of some members of my family, by whom she is 
regarded as an intruder. How largely she contributes 
to my happiness at this moment it is needless for me to 
say to you, who are in such full possession of my feelings 
on this subject." He had been determined that the child 
should if possible be born in England. He had wished 
that the child should be as British in feeling as was his 
revered father, George III. 

The Duchess was at this time described as fresh and 
youthful in appearance, with fine brown eyes and hair, 
naturally cheerful and friendly, and altogether most 

19 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

charming and attractive. She was fond of dress, and 
dressed well and with good taste. Nature had endowed 
her with warm feelings, and she was naturally, therefore, 
affectionate and unselfish, and full of sympathy and 
generous. A terrible blow — the loss of her husband — 
came upon her soon afterwards. Delighting in exercise, 
and too full of health to be careful about himself, the Duke 
had one day come home in January and had neglected to 
change his boots. A cold resulted, developing into in- 
flammation of the lungs, and he died on Sunday, January 
23, 1820. For five nights the Duchess had remained by 
his bedside. He was only 53 years of age. 

Croker writes to Lord Lowther on January 24, 1820: 
" You will be surprised at the Duke of Kent's death. He 
was the strongest of the strong. Never before ill in all 
his life, and now to die of a cold when half the kingdom 
have colds with impunity. It was very bad luck indeed. 
It reminds me of iEsop's fable of the oak and the reed," 

A few days after the Duke's death the widow left Sid- 
mouth and set out for London, accompanied by her brother 
and the baby Princess, who, " being held up at the carriage 
window to bid the assembled population of Sidmouth 
farewell, sported and laughed joyously, and patted the 
glasses with her pretty dimpled hands in happy uncon- 
sciousness of her melancholy bereavement." After their 
return to London the Duchess of Clarence, afterwards 
Queen Adelaide, took a great interest in the little child. 

Naturally enough there was much correspondence be- 
tween the Coburg family and the Duchess of Kent, the 
presence of the two little children so nearly of the same 
age being an obvious subject for letter-writing. From 
the very earliest days hopes were entertained that a match 
might some day result between Princess Victoria and 
Prince Albert. About this period the Dowager Duchess 
of Coburg wrote in one of her letters, " The little fellow is 
the pendant to the pretty cousin " — referring to the Princess 
Victoria. 

The Queen used to say that her earliest recollection 

20 



EARLY DAYS 

was that of crawling on the floor upon an old yellow carpet 
at Kensington Palace, and playing with the badge of the 
Garter belonging to Bishop Fisher of Salisbury, who, 
having formerly been tutor to her father, naturally took 
a very deep interest in the welfare of the child. 

For the first few years of her life the health and physical 
development of the little Princess were most closely watched 
over by the Duchess of Kent, who proved herself in all 
ways a most exemplary and devoted mother. 

Whenever the weather permitted, the little child was 
to be seen in the gardens at Kensington Palace in charge 
of her nurse, Mrs. Brock, and usually accompanied by 
her half-sister, the Princess Feodore. 

The family life at the palace was simple and regular 
in the extreme. Early strollers in the gardens during 
the summer often saw breakfast served at eight o'clock 
in the open air, a practice to which Queen Victoria in later 
years adhered whenever possible. The little Princess 
usually breakfasted on bread and milk and fruit at a 
small table by her mother's side. 

After breakfast the Princess Feodore studied with her 
governess. Miss Lehzen, during which time the Princess 
Victoria went out for a walk or drive. At two o'clock 
the children had their plain dinner while the Duchess had 
her luncheon, and in the afternoon came the usual walk 
or drive. In the evening, when the Duchess dined, the 
Princess had her supper laid at her side. 

At nine o'clock the child was accustomed to retire to her 
bed, which was placed close to her mother's. In fact, 
until the time of her accession to the throne. Princess 
Victoria never spent a single night away from her mother. 

The following anecdotes refer to these early days of 
childhood, though in the case of some of them it is not 
now possible to tell the precise year. Some of these stories 
afterwards received confirmation from her Majesty, but 
others rest upon the memory of persons who were brought 
into contact with her : 

.. When a very small child the Princess was taken up in 

21 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

his arms by a bishop, whom she sadly discomfited by 
capturing his wig, tearing tufts of hairs out of it, and 
smothering him with the powder. 

She used to ride about Kensington on a donkey, led by 
an old soldier who was a great favorite of hers. So great, 
in fact, was his influence over the little Princess — who 
early gave evidence that she possessed a strong will of 
her own — that he could usually persuade her to dismount 
and walk when every one else failed. 

The story has often been repeated that, when not quite 
two years old, she was nearly killed by the upsetting of a 
pony carriage in which she was riding, and that an old 
soldier named Maloney caught her before she reached 
the ground and restored her to the lady-in-waiting. He 
is said to have been suitably rewarded at the time, and in 
later days the Queen, hearing that he was in great poverty, 
granted him generous assistance, though she was never 
able to remember the supposed accident, and always 
thought the account must have been greatly exaggerated. 

When she commenced lessons we are told that she one 
day inquired, "Why should I learn the alphabet?" But 
upon being shown some books, and being told that with- 
out the alphabet she would never be able to read them, 
she eagerly exclaimed, "1 learn too! I learn too!" 

A description of the little Princess at this time says that 
" her large blue eyes, beautiful bloom, and fair complexion 
made her a model of infantile beauty." 

Miss Martineau records that "the Princess was reared 
in as much honesty and care about money matters as any 
citizen's child." 

Princess Victoria was provided with a small amount of 
pocket-monej^, and was not permitted on any account to 
exceed it. One day, when staying at Tunbridge Wells, 
she visited a shop and spent all her supply of ready money 
on presents for some of her friends. She then remembered 
that one of her cousins had been forgotten, and she chose 
a fancy box priced at 2s. 6d., but her purse was empty. 
Of course the shopman proposed to enclose the box in the 

22 



EARLY DAYS 

parcel without payment, but the watchful governess im- 
mediately interposed. "No/' she said; "you see the 
Princess has not the money, and so, of course, she cannot 
buy the box." The shopkeeper then offered to reserve 
the article until such time as it could be purchased. This 
was done, and when the next supply of pocket-money 
became due. Princess Victoria mounted her donkey, and 
was at the shop to buy the box by seven o'clock in the 
morning. 

In later life Queen Victoria showed her own approval 
of such a system of home discipline by bringing up her 
children with all possible simplicity and freedom from 
extravagance. She often spoke of the dangers of children 
in high stations. 

One day she was playing in the hay-field, and was making 
a hay-cock, when some fresh object of interest diverted 
her attention. She threw down the rake, and was run- 
ning off, when the governess stopped her. " No, no. Prin- 
cess, you must always finish what you have commenced," 
she said; and the little lady had to finish her hay-cock 
before she was permitted to go. 

These little details serve to indicate the thoroughness 
of her home training, and if they seem to us a trifle over- 
strict, they at any rate bore good fruit in the methodical 
business habits which always characterized Queen Vic- 
toria. 

Leigh Hunt, in his own delightful fashion, gossips 
about her in his well-known book, called " The Old Court 
Suburb": 

" We remember well the peculiar pleasure which it gave 
us to see the future Queen — the first time we ever did see 
her — coming up across the park from the Bayswater 
Gate, with a girl of her own age by her side, whose hands 
she was holding as if she loved her. A magnificent foot- 
man in scarlet came behind her, with the splendidest pair 
of calves in white stockings which we ever beheld." 

The little Princess is said to have early exhibited con- 
siderable wit, in illustration of which the following story 

23 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

has often been told. One day the lesson in Roman history 
told how Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi, spoke of her 
sons as "My jewels." The Princess remarked, "She 
should have said 'My Cornelians.'" 

All who knew Queen Victoria in later times were im- 
pressed with her absolute truthfulness. Nothing was so 
foreign to her nature as dissimulation of any kind. Even 
as a child she displayed this valuable quality. One day 
she had been rather inattentive during schpol hours, and 
the Duchess of Kent happened to come in, and inquired 
if the lessons were going on well. The governess was 
obliged to reply, "Oh, once she was rather tiresome." 
The truthful little Princess gently touched her arm and 
said, "No, Lehzen; twice. Don't you remember?" 

Probably wilfulness was the child's most conspicuous 
fault. One day the music -master was compelled to re- 
monstrate with her and said, "There is no royal road to 
music, Princess; you must practise like everybody else." 
Whereupon the angry little lady at once locked the piano, 
and, putting the key into her pocket, retorted, "There, 
now ! you see there is no ' must ' about it at all. " 

The Princess was so extremely fond of music that the 
Duchess of Kent, in order to give her pleasure, sent for 
an infant prodigy of the time — a child about five years 
old, called Lyra — whose performances on the harp had 
become somewhat famous. While this young musician 
was playing, the Duchess, seeing the Princess absorbed 
in the music, left the room for a few minutes. On her re- 
turn she found the harp deserted. The lonely little heiress 
of England, who so rarely pla5^ed with a child of her own 
age, had beguiled the youthful musician from her instru- 
ment by the display of some of her toj^^s, and the two children 
were seated side by side on the hearth-rug in a state of high 
enjoyment, surrounded by the Princess's playthings, 
from which she was making a selection for the little 
Lyra. 

One day Queen Victoria was paying a visit to Queen 
Adelaide, and was asked to choose what would be the 

24 



[.."ya^gKi^' 



w 




PRINCESS VICTORIA AND THE CHILD MUSICIAN 
(From a drawing by Alec Ball) 



EARLY DAYS 

greatest treat she could desire for her day's enjoyment. 
To the astonishment of the good Queen she eagerly begged 
to be allowed to clean the windows as the very acme of 
enjoyment ! 

The Dowager Queen's residence, as a widow, was at 
that time Marlborough House, and the dining-room was the 
same as that now used, but two "corkscrew" stairs were 
awkwardly situated within the room, and led up to the 
first floor. Whitewash or plaster concealed the fine paint- 
ings of Marlborough's battles in the hall and on the stair- 
way walls, and it was not until the house was prepared 
for the Prince of Wales in 1850, that the concealment dis- 
appeared, and the paintings were cleaned and admired. 

On another occasion, seeing a crowd collected round 
the door of a house to which her mother had taken her to 
pay a visit, the child, accompanied bj'' some indiscreet 
attendant, stole out by a side door and mixed with the 
crowd, listening to the remarks on the royal equipage 
and herself with evident dehght. But we suspect this 
must have been at a rather more advanced age. 

She was warned one day on no account to play with 
a certain dog which was of very uncertain temper, but she 
continued to do so until the animal betrayed himself by 
a sudden snap. "Oh, thank you," she said; "he did not 
bite me; he only warned me." 

Needless to say, such escapades got the little Princess 
into considerable trouble with her somewhat strict mother, 
whose watchful eye was quick to note all that went on. 

The little Princess seems early to have displayed some- 
thing of that tact which afterwards so greatly distinguish- 
ed her. She was present at a children's ball given by the 
Duke of Gloucester, and noticed her uncle, the Duke of 
Sussex, taking his departure. She ran after him and 
cried, "Won't you give me a kiss before you go?" When 
the Duke stooped to do so the Princess hurriedly whispered 
in his ear, "You have forgotten to say good-night to 
mamma." 

Of the impression made by the Queen in these early years 

25 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

we have a record from the letters of Miss Jane Porter, 
author of The Scottish Chiefs and other novels popular 
many years ago. This lady dwelt with her mother in a 
cottage near Claremont, and often saw the young Princess, 
and was " delighted to find that she resembled her lamented 
aunt, the Princess Charlotte. She was a beautiful child, 
with the cherubic form of features, clustered round by 
glossy, fair ringlets. Her complexion was remarkably 
transparent, with a soft and often heightening tinge of 
the sweet blush rose upon her cheeks that imparted a 
peculiar brilliancy to her clear blue eyes. Whenever she 
met any strangers in her usual paths she always seemed 
by the quickness of her glance to inquire who and what 
they were. " 

Another description of her at this period states: "Her 
Royal Highness is remarkably beautiful, and her gay and 
animated countenance bespeaks perfect health and good 
temper. Her complexion is excessively fair, her eyes 
large and expressive, and her cheeks blooming. She 
bears a very striking resemblance to her late royal father, 
and indeed to every member of our reigning family." 

The little Princess had practically no playmates of her 
own age, and in later years she spoke of her cliildhood as 
being very dull. To make up for tliis she had a large stock 
of toys, some of which may now be seen in Kensington 
Palace. She was especially fond of dolls, of which she 
had quite an extraordinary number, most of them repre- 
senting historical personages. Many have been given 
away, but about one hundred and thirty still remain in 
the royal collection. 

We might give many illustrations of the kindness and 
sympathy which early exhibited themselves in Princess 
Victoria's conduct. We are told that when her uncle, 
the Duke of York, was lying in liis last illness his little 
niece visited him every day, bearing \vith her own hands 
a bunch of flowers as a reminder that he was thought 
about and sympathized with. 

One day the Princess was in a jeweller's shop, when 

26 



EARLY DAYS 

she saw a young lady customer looking at some gold 
chains. The one the girl most admired was evidently 
too expensive, and with obvious regret she gave it up 
and purchased one at a lower price. After she had left 
the shop, the Princess purchased the more expensive chain 
and directed the jeweller to enclose it with the chain pur- 
chased by the young lady. She also sent a note stating 
her high approval of the stranger's evident prudence and 
self-denial. 

When visiting Plymouth, the Duchess of Kent and her 
little daughter paid a visit to the house of Admiral Ross, 
whose eldest daughter was ill and confined to her room. 
After luncheon the royal ladies went up to the invalid's 
room to talk to her. Miss Ross at once rose from the sofa 
to get a chair for the Princess, but was stopped by the 
Duchess, who said, " Pray don't rise. Miss Ross ; you are 
ill; Victoria will get a chair for herself." And, sitting 
down, the royal ladies chatted with her for some time. 

The Princess was five years old when she paid her first 
visit to Ramsgate. " When first I saw the pale and pretty 
daughter of the Duke of Kent," says a writer in Fraser's 
Magazine, "she was fatherless. Her fair, light form 
was sporting in all the redolence of youth and health on 
the noble sands of old Ramsgate. She wore a plain straw 
bonnet with a white ribbon round it, and as pretty a pair 
of shoes on as pretty a pair of feet as I ever remember to 
have seen from China to Kamschatka. She was allowed 
to play with other children, and used to have many donkey 
rides." 

When about five years old. Princess Victoria began to 
receive regular instruction. The Rev. George Davys, 
afterwards Dean of Chester and Bishop of Peterborough, 
was engaged to give elementary lessons. The Duchess, 
however, very wisely insisted that the child's mind should 
not be forced in any way. 

About the same time Miss Lehzen, who had come over 
to England with the Duchess of Kent to take charge of 
the Princess Feodore, was appointed governess to the 

27 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

future Queen. She was devotedly attached to her young 
charge, and in recognition of her merits King George 
IV., shortly before his death, created her a Baroness of 
Hanover. After the Queen's accession the Baroness 
remained with her till her marriage. Two years later 
she retired to Germany, and died in 1870. 

During 1824 and the following year the Duchess of 
Kent and her daughters repeatedly spent considerable 
periods of their time at Claremont, where she was the 
guest of her brother. Prince Leopold. The Queen, in 
later years, used to say that these were by far the happiest 
days of her childhood. 

Miss Jane Porter mentions the following interesting 
incident : 

" One day at Esher Church, my attention was particular- 
ly attracted to the Claremont pew, in which she and the 
Duchess of Kent and her royal uncle sat. The pew oc- 
cupies a colonnaded recess, elevated a little in the interior 
of the south wall of the church; parallel with it runs a 
small gallery of pews from one of which (my mother's), 
being directly opposite to the royal seat, I could see all that 
passed. I should not voluntarily have so employed my- 
self at church, but I had seen a wasp skimming backward 
and forward over the head and before the unveiled summer- 
bonnet of the little Princess, and I could not forbear watch- 
ing the dangerous insect, fearing it might sting her face. 
She, totally unobserving it, had meantime fixed her eyes 
on the clergyman, who had taken his place in the pulpit 
to preach the sermon, and she never withdrew them thence 
for a moment during his whole discourse. 

"Next day a lady, personally intimate at Claremont, 
called at our humble little abode, and I remarked to her 
the scene I had witnessed on the preceding morning at 
church, wondering what could possibly have engaged 
the young Princess's attention so unrecedingly to the face 
of the preacher, a person totally unknown to her, and 
whose countenance, though expressive of good sense, 
was wiry and rough-hewn and could present nothing pleas- 

28 



EARLY DAYS 

ing enough to fix the eyes of a child. ' It was not himself 
that attracted her fixed eyes/ replied our visitor, 'it was 
the sermon he was preaching. For it is a custom with 
her illustrious instructress to inquire of Princess Victoria 
not only the text of the discourse, but also the heads of 
its leading subjects. Hence she neither saw the wasp 
when in front of her nor heard the whisking of her uncle's 
protective handkerchief behind her. Her whole mind 
was bound up in her task — a rare faculty of concentration 
in any individual, and therefore more wonderful in one 
hardly beyond infancy — and with a most surprising un- 
derstanding of the subjects, she never fails performing 
her task in a manner that might grace much older years.' " 

In the year 1826 Princess Victoria received for the first 
time an invitation from the King to accompany the Duchess 
of Kent on a visit to him at Windsor. The castle had for 
many years been in an extremely neglected state, and was 
only now undergoing necessary repairs. The King was 
living in the royal lodge in the park, and as there was no 
accommodation for visitors, the Duchess and the young 
Princess stayed at Cumberland Lodge, where they remain- 
ed for three days. The King was greatly pleased with 
his little niece and with the affection she exhibited towards 
him. 

One day during this visit the King entered the drawing- 
room, leading his niece by the hand. "Now, Victoria," 
said his Majesty, " the band is in the next room and shall 
play any tune you please. What shall it be?" The 
quick-witted little Princess instantly replied, " Oh, Uncle 
King, I should like 'God Save the King.'" At the end 
of her visit he asked her what she had enjoyed most during 
her stay at Windsor. " The drive I took with you. Uncle 
King," was the answer. 

This was the first time that Princess Victoria saw the 
historic home which was to be associated for so many 
years v/ith the life and reign of England's greatest 
sovereign. 

In the autumn of this year some time was spent at 

29 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Virginia Water, to which the following reference is made 
in a letter from the Dowager Duchess of Coburg to the 
Duchess of Kent: 

" I see by the English newspapers that his Majesty and 
her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent went on Vir- 
ginia AVater. The little monkey (Princess Victoria) must 
have pleased and amused him ; she is such a pretty, clever 
child. The bigger monkey (Princess Feodore) was al- 
ways much in favor." 

About this period the little Princess was going on a 
special visit to the King, when she turned to the Duchess 
of Kent and asked, " Oh, mamma, shall I go on my don- 
key?" Her donkey had been the present of her uncle, 
the Duke of York, and was regarded by the child as her 
greatest treasure. The King had never seen it, and she 
had the idea that to take her donkey with her would be 
the greatest compliment she could pay him. 

The following little incident may seem trivial, but it 
serves to illustrate her early thoughtfulness for others. 
She slipped one day and fell, while out with her mother, 
and her first words on being picked up were, " Does mamma 
know that I am not hurt?" 

We have already referred to the fact that Princess Vic- 
toria possessed a very strong will of her own, though she 
was early taught that she must keep it in check. It is 
related that on one occasion when she was slightly unwell 
she refused to take her medicine. When the physician 
called again, this was mentioned to him, and he gravely 
said, "As that is the case, I must discontinue my visits, 
as they are altogether useless unless her Royal Highness 
wall conform to my rules as to her health." The Princess 
was fond of the doctor, and when he rose to go she begged 
him most earnestly to return, saying, "Do, pray, doctor, 
come and see me again; indeed, I will take my medicine 
properly in future." 

Here is another story showing the kindliness of her 
disposition. The doctor was attending her for a severe 
cold at a time when his own boy was recovering from an 

30 




PRINCESS VICTORIA AND HER MOTHER IN 1S34 
(From a drawing by Sir George Hayter) 



EARLY DAYS 

illness. Some cakes were in the room, and the doctor 
noticed that his patient's eyes often glanced wistfully at 
th6m. So he thought it well to remark, "Your Royal 
Highness is not yet well enough to eat anything in that 
tempting basket, but in a little time I hope it will be other- 
wise." The Princess instantly turned from the sugared 
pile, and with a gentle smile said to the doctor, " But your 
little boy, though he has been as unwell as I am, is now 
better, and these can do him no hami ; 1 beg you therefore 
to take them to him." 

Looking out of a window at Kensington Palace one very 
wet day, her quick eyes noticed an old man standing under 
one of the trees for shelter. He was evidently soaked 
with the rain, and the little Princess called to an attendant 
\i the room, "Run to that poor man with an umbrella; 
he is very old and will catch cold." 

Lord Albemarle, in his autobiography, tells how at 
this period he was in attendance on the Duke of Sussex 
at Kensington Palace, and thus describes the appearance 
of the Princess at the time: 

"One of my occupations on a morning, while waiting 
for the Duke, was to watch from the window the move- 
ments of a bright, pretty little girl of seven years of age. 
She was in the habit of watering the plants immediately 
under the window. It was amusing to see how impartially 
she divided the contents of the water-pot between the 
flowers and her own little feet. Her simple but becoming 
dress contrasted favorably with the gorgeous apparel 
now worn by the little damsels of the rising generation — 
a large straw hat and a suit of white cotton; a colored 
fichu round the neck was the only ornament she wore." 

The little Princess was again a guest at the royal lodge 
in Windsor Park in 1827, when the King presented her 
with a badge worn only by members of the royal family. 
This badge she carefully treasured to the end of her life. 

About the same period she went to a state dinner at 
Carlton House, but was only present for a few moments to 
see the King and royal family. It was, in fact, a con- 

31 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

slant subject of dispute between the King and the Duchess 
of Kent that the Princess was brought up in such seclusion, 
but her mother very wisely considered that the surround- 
ings of a court, and especially of such a court, were not 
the best possible atmosphere in which to bring up a young 
child, and certainly the end fully justified her decision. 

During the summer of this year the usual visits were 
paid to Claremont, and afterwards some weeks were spent 
at Tunbridge Wells and at Ramsgate, where the child 
enjoyed herself finely on the sands. 

Mr. Charles Knight, the pioneer of cheap publications, 
gives the following interesting account in his Passages of 
a Working Life : 

" In the summer of 1827 I delighted to walk in Kensing- 
ton Gardens. Sometimes of a holiday afternoon with my 
elder girls — more frequently in the early morning on my 
way to town. 

"In such a season, when the sun was scarcely high 
enough to have dried up the dews of Kensington's green 
alleys, as I passed along the broad central walk I saw a 
group on the lawn before the palace which to my mind was 
a vision of exquisite loveliness. 

"The Duchess of Kent and her daughter, whose years 
then numbered eight, are breakfasting in the open air, a 
single page attending upon them at a respectful distance. 
The matron is looking on with eyes of love, while the fair, 
soft, English face is bright with smiles The world of 
fashion is not yet astir, the clerks and mechanics passing 
onward to their occupations are few, and they exhibit 
nothing of that vulgar curiosity which is. I think, more 
commonly found in the class of the merely rich than in 
the ranks below them in the world's estimation. What 
a beautiful characteristic it seems to be of the training 
of this royal girl that she should not have been taught to 
shrink from the public eye, that she should not have been 
burdened with the premature conception of her probable 
high destiny, that she should enjoy the freedom and sim- 
plicity of a child's nature, that she should not be restrained 

32 



EARLY DAYS 

when she starts up from the breakfast-table and runs to 
gather a flower in the adjoining parterre, that her merry- 
laugh should be as fearless as the notes of the thrush in 
the groves around her. I passed on, and blessed her, and 
I thank God that I have lived to see the golden fruits of 
such training." 

As the young Princess was very fond of flowers, some 
ladies who were in the habit of taking their walks in Ken- 
sington Gardens were accustomed to present her with a 
small nosegay, until after a time little Victoria would 
expect the present as a matter of course, and ask for the 
flowers if they were not readily forthcoming. This her 
governess told her she must not do. One morning she 
met the ladies, and saw that they were without the usual 
bouquet. Knowing that she was not permitted to ask for 
it, and a little girl with a reticule in her hand passing at 
the time, the Princess cried out to her, " Little girl, have 
you any flowers in that bag?" 

On another occasion, meeting the Bishop of Salisbury 
while on her walk, she resolutely declined to speak to him, 
and not all the threats of her mother's displeasure would 
induce her to open her lips. At last she ran away, and 
when fairly out of reach turned and kissed her hand 
repeatedly to the aged prelate. Many stories, more or 
less authentic, have been told by old servants and others, 
which go to show that the somewhat strict discipline which 
prevailed at Kensington Palace had by no means sup- 
pressed the natural high spirits of the young girl. In- 
deed, the Duchess of Kent was far too wise a mother to 
attempt anything of the kind. 

Early in the year 1828 the Queen's half-sister. Princess 
Feodore, the daughter of the Duchess of Kent by her first 
marriage with the Prince of Leiningen, was married to 
the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. This was a great 
blow to the future Queen, for, although Princess Feodore 
was by many years her senior, she had been her constant 
companion, and was almost her only playmate. 

Princess Feodore had three children, the eldest of whom 
<= 33 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

had a son who is well known in England, for he is a dis- 
tinguished British officer, namely. Count Gleichen. He 
served with the Grenadier Guards in the South African 
campaign, and was wounded at the Modder River. The 
Princess died on September 23, 1872. 

There was also a son by the first marriage of the Duchess 
of Kent, Prince Charles Emich, who was of course Queen 
Victoria's half-brother. At the time of the second marriage 
of the Duchess of Kent, this boy was Prince of Leiningen, 
having succeeded his father as a minor in 1814, five years 
before the birth of Princess Victoria. 

The boy remained at Leiningen to complete his educa- 
tion, when the widowed Duchess of Kent resolved to reside 
permanently in England for the sake of her little daughter. 
Thus it came about that Princess Victoria saw hardly 
anything of him during her childhood, though he occasion- 
ally paid brief visits to England. His death took place in 
1859. His son Ernest, Prince of Leiningen, is an Admiral 
in the British Fleet, and was for some time in command 
of the royal yacht. 

Sir Walter Scott noted in his diary for this year, on 
May 19th, an interesting reference to the future Queen: 

"Dined with the Duchess of Kent; was very kindly 
received by Prince Leopold and presented to the little 
Princess Victoria, the heir-apparent to the throne, as 
things now stand. This lady is educated with much care, 
and is watched so closely that no busy maid has a moment 
to whisper, 'You are heir of England.' I suspect, if we 
could dissect the little heart, we should find some pigeon 
or other bird of the air had carried the matter." 

Whether this was so or not is difficult to say. There 
is no doubt that every care was taken to avoid premature 
disclosures on this subject; but Queen Victoria used to 
say that she had a vague idea of the state of affairs from 
almost her earliest years. Something of the kind could 
hardly be avoided. When she was very small indeed she 
is reported to have asked her nurse, " Why do all the gentle- 
men raise their hats to me and not to Feodore?" 

34 



EARLY DAYS 

Baroness Lehzen wrote to the Queen many years after- 
wards : " I ask your leave to cite some remarkable words 
of yours when only twelve years old, when the Regency 
Bill was in progress. I then said to the Duchess of Kent 
that now, for the first time, you ought to know your place 
in the succession. Her Royal Highnesss agreed with me, 
and I put the genealogical table into the historical book. 
When Mr. Davj'^s had gone, the Princess Victoria opened 
as usual the book again, and seeing the additional paper 
said, ' I never saw that before. ' ' It was not necessary you 
should. Princess,' I answered. 'I see I am nearer the 
throne than I thought.' 'So it is,' I said. After some 
moments the Princess resumed, ' Many a child would boast, 
but they do not know the difficulty There is much splen- 
dor, but more rcwsponsibility.' The Princess having 
lifted up the forefinger of her right hand before she spoke, 
gave me her little hand, saying, ' I will be good. I under- 
stand now why you urge me so much to learn even Latin. 
My aunts Augusta and Mary never did, but you told me 
that Latin was the foundation of English grammar and 
of all the elegant expressions, and I learned it as you wished. 
But I understand all better now.' And she gave me her 
hand, repeating, ' I will be good. ' I then said, ' But your 
aunt Adelaide is still young, and may have children ; and, 
of course, they would ascend the throne after their father, 
William the Fourth, and not you. Princess.' She an- 
swered, 'If it were so I should be very glad, for I know, 
by the love Aunt Adelaide bears me, how much she loves 
children. ' " 

The Queen afterwards referred to the intimation of her 
probable succession, and wrote, " I cried much on hearing 
of it," but she subsequently added that the account was 
not quite accurate. 

The following anecdote is related by Mr. A. T. Story, 
who vouches for its truth: "The Princess Victoria had 
set her heart on buying a doll she had seen in a shop win- 
dow. But her mother, the Duchess of Kent, did not let 
her buy it until her next allowance of pocket-money enabled 

35 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE^ 

her to do so. At last the day came, when she hurried to 
the shop, paid over the six bright shilhngs, and got the 
long-coveted doll. On coming out of the shop with her 
treasure in her arms the young Princess encountered a 
wretchedly miserable tramp, who plucked up his courage 
and asked for help. The Princess Victoria hesitated a 
moment ; then, realizing that she no longer had any money 
left for the man, she returned to the shopkeeper and gave 
him back the doll. He gave her the six shillings again, 
promising also to keep the doll for her for a few days. The 
little lady hurried out of the shop and thrust the whole of 
the money into the hand of the poor beggar, who was 
astounded at the extent of his good fortune." 

In the year 1829 the education of the little Princess began 
to assume more considerable proportions. As we have 
already noted, Miss Lehzen and the Rev. George Davys 
gave her general instruction; but, in addition, teachers 
were now engaged for special subjects. Mr. Steward, 
who was at that time writing-master of Westminster School, 
taught her writing and arithmetic ; while Mr. J. B. Sale, 
who had been a prominent member of the choir at the 
Chapel Royal, came to assist in her singing lessons, though 
later on she received musical instruction from the famous 
Lablache. Dancing lessons were given by Ma'dame 
Bourdin, and it is considered probable that the grace and 
dignity which characterised every attitude and movement 
of Queen Victoria were very largely due to this lady's 
early instruction. 

She was taught drawing by Mr. Westall, the distinguish- 
ed Academician, under whose teaching she soon displayed 
remarkable proficiency. Drawing was, with music, one 
of the favorite recreations of her after-life, and some pleas- 
ing sketches and etchings — the latter often done with 
Prince Albert's assistance — have been published. 

ThePrincess studied Frenchunder Monsieur Grandineau, 
while German was imparted by Monsieur Barez. It is 
worthy of remark that the Duchess of Kent, although speak- 
ing English herself with some difficulty, always insisted 

36 



EARLY DAYS 

that the conversation at Kensington Palace should be 
carried on in that language. She was most anxious 
that Princess Victoria should grow up a thorough English- 
woman. The idea, therefore, that she learned German 
from her mother's conversation is an error. At a some- 
what later date. Sir Charles Murray relates : " Her Majesty- 
speaks French perfectly, and both reads and understands 
German, but does not like speaking it. She is also a good 
Italian scholar." As she grew older, she mastered Latin 
and made considerable progress in Greek; and is stated 
to have been the best educated young Englishwoman of 
her day. 

English history was always a favorite subject of study. 
One day in conversation with a bishop she was asked 
what opinion she had formed of Queen Elizabeth. The 
Princess gave a very discriminating reply: "I think 
that Queen Elizabeth was a very great queen, but I am 
not quite sure that she was so good a woman." 

The lessons which the little child always enjoyed most 
were those in riding, in which she became very efficient. 
In the early days of her reign, nothing delighted her more 
than a fast gallop through Windsor Park. In fact, so 
daring was she, that these rides were the terror of many 
of her ladies-in-waiting. 

On May 28th of this year (1829) Princess Victoria made 
her first acquaintance with the ceremony of a Court. It 
was at a juvenile ball given by the King in honor of the 
child-queen of Portugal, Dona Maria Da Gloria. Con- 
temporary reports tell us that the little Queen presented a 
most splendid appearance, her dress being encrusted with 
jewels, but " the elegant simplicity of the attire and manners 
of the British heiress formed a strong contrast to the glare 
and glitter around the precocious Queen. These royal 
young ladies danced in the same quadrille, and, though 
the performance of Dona Maria was greatly admired, 
all persons of refined taste gave the preference to the modest 
graces of the English-bred Princess." 

This was the first occasion on which Princess Victoria 

37 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

danced in public, and she had for her partners Lord Fitz- 
alan, heir to the dukedom of Norfolk, Prince William of 
Saxe- Weimar, the young Prince Esterhazy, and the sons 
• of Lords De la Warr and Jersey. 

The account given in Greville's Memoirs for May 29, 
1829, is perhaps worth quoting: 

"Yesterday the King gave a dinner to the Dukes of 
Orleans and Chartres, and in the evening there was a 
child's ball. It was pretty enough. I saw for the first 
time the Queen of Portugal and our little Victoria. The 
Queen was finely dressed with a ribbon and Order over her 
shoulder, and she sat by the King. She is good-looking, 
and has a sensible Asturian countenance. In dancing 
she fell down and hurt her face, was frightened and bruised, 
and went away. The King was very kind to her. Our 
little Princess is a short, plain-looking child, and not near 
so good-looking as the Portuguese. However, if Nature 
has not done so much. Fortune is likely to do a great deal 
more for her. The King looked very well, and stayed 
at the ball till two." 

It is noticeable that this description of the Princess is 
hardly so flattering as others we have quoted. But Greville 
was not addicted to observing the best sides of people or 
things. 

Part of the summer of this year was spent at Broadstairs, 
where the old inhabitants used to tell with what evident 
delight the little girl played about on the sands. On the 
way back to Kensington, a visit of two days was paid to 
the Earl of Winchilsea at liis country seat near Ashford. 
In the same year Princess Victoria saw her uncle, George 
IV., for the last time. His health was failing fast. 

The Duchess of Kent was now less straitened in means, 
more generous provision having been made by Parliament 
for the maintenance of her household, in view of the pros- 
pects and probable future position of the Princess. It 
thus became possible for the Duchess and her daughter to 
indulge more freely in travel. The wise mother was quick 
to take advantage of this opportunity, for she very rightly 

38 



EARLY DAYS 

held that if her daughter ever became Queen of England, 
it would be of the greatest advantage to her to have formed 
a general acquaintance with the chief parts of her country. 

In the summer of 1830 two pleasant months were 
spent at Malvern, where the Royal party stayed at " Holly 
Mount," a fine old-fashioned mansion on the hillside, com- 
manding one of the finest views in England. 

While here the days were spent in rambling about the 
hills and — in climbing trees, a taste that was rather perilous 
in one so young. Local tradition says that on one occasion 
she was found perched in an apple-tree, unable to descend 
till a gardener came to the rescue. 

On the way to Malvern a brief visit had been paid to the 
famous home of the Marlboroughs at Blenheim, and some 
time had been spent at Stratf ord-on- Avon, where the various 
associations with Shakespeare were studied with no small 
interest. Warwick, Kenilworth, and Birmingham were 
also included in the line of route. At the last-named 
town many of the principal manufactories were visited, at- 
tention being particularly paid to the glass-blowing and 
coining. 

While at Malvern excursions were made to Earl Beau- 
champ's seat at Madresfield; to Eastnor Castle, the home 
of the Somersets; and to other noblemen's seats, as well 
as to the cities of Hereford and Worcester. At the latter 
city the Royal Porcelain Works came in for a good deal 
of notice. 

On the return from Malvern, Badminton and Gloucester 
were visited, and the journey was continued tlirough Bath 
to East Stoke Park, where the acquaintance of Thomas 
Moore, the Irish poet, was made. 

In his diary he notes: "The Duchess sang a duet or 
two with the Princess Victoria, and several very pretty 
German songs by herself. I also sang several songs, 
with which her Royal Highness was much pleased." 

The party now proceeded over Salisburj^^ Plain, and 
visited Stonehenge on the way to Salisbury, where the 
young Princess was received with the greatest enthusiasm, 

39 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

and, as usual, was immensely interested in studying the 
antiquities at the Cathedral. 

It needs to be remembered that these journeys were 
much more serious undertakings than such excursions 
would be at the present day. There was no rapid travelling 
by railway then, but all the journeys had to be taken by 
post-chaise or coach, with, however, the compensating 
advantage that the country was seen to far better purpose. 

The next stay was at Portsmouth, where the Princess 
visited the Royal George yacht and the St. Vincent man- 
of-war, and spent considerable time in exploring the dock- 
yard. Even at this early age she exhibited great interest 
in all matters connected with the Navy. 

In the December of this year, a Regency Bill was passed, 
appointing the Duchess of Kent to be Regent in the event 
of her daughter, the Princess Victoria, ascending the 
throne during her minority. The speeches delivered by 
Ministers in both Houses on this occasion showed how 
entirely the country approved the course taken by the 
Duchess in the education of the future Queen. This was 
no small satisfaction to Her Royal Highness, who at first 
had been considerably misunderstood. 

At the close of the year Parliament was prorogued by 
the King, and the Princess Victoria witnessed the State 
procession in company with the Queen and Royal Family. 
On this occasion the Queen took her young niece by the 
hand, and, leading her to the front of the balcony, in- 
troduced her to her future subjects. 

In the following year (1831) an important addition to 
the household of the Princess was made by the appoint- 
ment of a State Governess, the Duchess of Northumber- 
land. This lady, however, had nothing to do with the 
teaching of her charge, her function being mainly an 
ornamental one. She was supposed, however, to accom- 
pany the Princess on all public occasions, and to give any 
hints that might be necessary upon Court etiquette. 

It was in the month of January that the Duchess of Kent 
and the Princess Victoria commanded a performance at 

40 



EARLY DAYS 

Covent Garden Theatre, which was the first playhouse 
her Majesty ever visited. The Duchess and her daughter 
occupied Prince Leopold's box, the second from the stage 
on the left side of the house. The audience was largely 
composed of children, and after the performance of the 
farce, "The £ioo Note," there were cries of "God Save the 
King," which directed attention to the Royal visitors, who 
were warmly cheered. A pantomime was played, and the 
Princess entered into the spirit of the performance with 
great enjoyment, and laughed heartily at the eccentricities 
of it. 

On February 24th the Princess made her first appear- 
ance at a Drawing-room. It was held in honor of Queen 
Adelaide. During the reception she stood on the left of 
the Queen, dressed very simply in white, with a pearl 
necklace and a diamond ornament in her hair. Hence- 
forward she attended Drawing-rooms twice every year, 
but did not take part in State balls or evening ceremonies 
until a considerably later period. 

Baroness Lehzen, writing in May of this year, said: 
"My Princess will be twelve years old to-morrow. She 
is not tall, but very pretty ; has dark blue eyes, and a mouth 
which, though not tiny, is very good-tempered and pleas- 
ant; very fine teeth, a small but graceful figure, and a 
very small foot. She was dressed to receive me in white 
muslin, with a coral necklace. Her whole bearing is so 
childish and engaging that one could not desire a more 
amiable child." 

Just about this time occurred what appears to be Prince 
Albert's first message to his future bride. It is merely 
one of "best remembrances to our dear cousin," but it 
serves to show that the two took some slight interest in 
one another. It was not till some time later, however, 
that they met for the first time. 

In August of this year the Princess paid her first visit 
to the Isle of Wight, where she stayed for two months in 
company with her mother. During this time she made a 
tour round the western part of the island, visiting Ryde 

41 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

and Ventnor, Yarmouth and Newport, and on the way 
home paying a visit to her uncle. Prince Leopold, at Clare- 
mont. 

Claremont is interesting on account of its previous his- 
tory. It was built by the great Clive, who, after his mar- 
vellous career in India, bought the estate, and spent a 
great deal of the money won in the East on its adormnent. 
The house is a most comfortable brick paralfelogram, 
with a central hall in which is the stairway, and lit from 
above. In front there is the inevitable portico, so favored 
by architects in the eighteenth century, and from the 
platform underneath its huge columns there is a fine view 
over to the distant Epsom Downs. A large front hall, 
decorated in Adam's style, which blended Roman massive- 
ness with the delicate semi-Greek decoration of Pompeii, 
is paved with marble. A library and large dining-room 
are on the right, and on the left are good rooms in which 
Louis Philippe lived. Extending along most of the back 
of the house is a great room which the French family used 
for receptions. There are fine cedars, and even cork-trees, 
on the lawns around, which rise on one side to mounds 
covered with good timber. Near the stables, on the other 
side, is a very large kitchen-garden, with massive brick 
walls, and groves of pine-trees commence beyond a little 
lake, which, surrounded by woods and masses of rhododen- 
dron, is stocked with water-fowl. The pasture-lands in 
front of the house fall away in pleasant slopes, and possess 
a large farm-yard, in the centre of which, on a column, 
stands a bronze peacock, placed there by Clive, in memory 
of his da3^s in India, where, as in Persia, the beautiful bird 
is constantly used as an ornament, sometimes wondrously 
jewelled on the thrones of princes, and sometimes in sculpt- 
ured relief around the halls of their palaces. 

Beneath an old brick tower which rises from the wooded 
mound near the house may still be seen the model forti- 
fications dug by the young French Princes, the Comte de 
Paris and the Due de Chartres, who, unable to pursue a 
military career in the French army, took part in the Amer- 

42 



EARLY DAYS 

ican Civil War on the side of the North. Their uncle, the 
Due d'Aumale, had been compelled to leave his command 
in the Army of Algeria, when the news of the King's flight 
from the Tuileries reached Africa. He bitterly felt the 
necessity which robbed him of military ambition, but was 
fortunate in possessing that love of art and literature 
which is one of the best resources, for it enabled him to 
give to his country valuable works in history, and a collec- 
tion of pictures and of things of interest and beauty nobly 
bequeathed to the French nation at his death with the 
Palace of Chantilly. 

Queen Victoria bought Claremont, and lived there oc- 
casionally, but its associations remind one more of George 
IV. 's handsome and unfortunate daughter, Princess 
Charlotte, who, not too happy with her father, had a brief 
period of good fortune when she wedded Prince Leopold, 
afterwards King of the Belgians, and Claremont was her 
home during the time when it was believed that she would 
become Queen of England. The L's of King Leopold are 
still to be seen on the iron railings surrounding a terrace 
in front of a conservatory on the slopes of the hill overlook- 
ing the little lake. It was at Claremont that the Princess 
and her babe died. A memory still more sad for the Queen 
clung to the house, for her dear and gifted son, called after 
King Leopold, had this place as his home; alas! only for 
a few short years. 

In the following summer an extended tour was taken by 
the Princess and her mother. Passing through Birming- 
ham, Wolverhampton, and Shrewsbury, they proceeded 
to Powys Castle. Thence they went by way of the Menai 
Bridge to the Isle of Anglesey, where they sta3^ed at the 
" Bulkeley Arms " at Beaumaris, which had been taken 
for a month. Here the Princess performed what seems to 
have been her first public function. The National Eistedd- 
fod was in session, and she presented the prizes to the 
successful competitors. 

The stay at Beaumaris was cut short by an outbreak 
of sickness in the locality, and the royal party removed to 

43 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Plas Newydd, where the Princess laid the first stone of a 
boys' school, and exhibited considerable interest in the 
educational arrangements of the place. Bangor, Conway, 
and Holywell were next visited, after which the royal party 
went on to Eaton Hall. During their stay there a visit 
was paid to Chester, on which occasion the new bridge 
over the Dee was opened and received the name of " Vic- 
toria. " Next they visited the Duke of Devonshire at Chats- 
worth, from which centre Matlock and many neighboring 
places of interest received attention. 

On their way back to Oxford they contrived to visit an 
extraordinary number of towns in the Midlands, careful 
notes upon all of which were recorded in the Princess's 
diary. Among others a visit was paid to Bromsgrove, 
where the Princess was especially interested in the manu- 
facture of nails. She was greatly delighted to receive a 
present from the Bromsgrove nailers consisting of a thou- 
sand microscopical nails of all patterns enclosed in a quill 
and presented in a little gold box. 

At Oxford addresses were presented by the Vice-Chan- 
cellor on behalf of the University and by the Mayor and 
Corporation on behalf of the City. Several of the colleges 
were visited, as was also the University Press, where the 
Princess was presented with a handsomely bound Bible 
and an account of her visit printed on satin. 

The early part of 1833 was passed at Kensington, where 
the usual studies were kept up, though the Princess now 
went rather more frequently into society. In April the 
Duchess of Kent gave a dinner to the King at Kensington 
Palace, but the Princess as usual did not dine, but merely 
appeared in the drawing-room before and after dinner. 

On her fourteenth birthday, which occurred this j^ear, a 
juvenile ball was held at St. James's Palace in her honor. 
The King led her into the ballroom and again to supper, 
where she sat beside him in the seat of honor. King 
William IV. seems to have been wannly attached to his 
little niece, and did not approve the action of the Duchess 
of Kent in allowing her to be with him so seldom. 

44 




THE PRINCESS VICTORIA AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN 



EARLY DAYS 

From this period the Princess frequently attended the 
opera, where she heard most of the leading singers of the 
day. 

During the summer, visits were made to Sion and Clare- 
mont; in July the Princess went with her mother for a 
second tour in the Isle of Wight. This time she was ac- 
companied by her half-brother, the Prince of Leiningen, 
who was in England spending his holidays. The party 
stayed principally at Norris Castle. 

It was on this occasion that Princess Victoria first made 
the acquaintance of Osborne Lodge, an old-fashioned 
house which she afterwards bought, and upon whose site 
Osborne House was built. She attended service at old 
Whippingham Church, and was present at the consecra- 
tion of the church at East Cowes. 

A prolonged tour in the yacht Emerald was now taken. 
Southampton and Portsmouth were first visited, and the 
flagship Victory was inspected. The Princess delighted 
the men by sharing their dinner at one of the tables, and 
remarked in her diary with satisfaction on the neatness 
and order of the ship. The royal party next went by water 
to Weymouth, where the town was illuminated and ad- 
dresses were presented. 

It should be noted that by this time it seemed certain 
that Queen Adelaide would have no children, and that 
the Princess Victoria would succeed King William IV., 
whose health was now fast failing. Thus she was received 
with royal honors wherever she went, and was every- 
where welcomed as the coming Queen. The King made 
many jokes about what he called "little Victoria's royal 
progresses," though he seems to have somewhat disliked 
the fuss that was made. 

From Weymouth visits were paid by land to Melbury 
and Bridport, whence they returned to the Emerald, in 
which they proceeded to Torquay. 

On their way to Plymouth the yacht collided with a 
hulk and greatly damaged her masts and rigging. Re- 
ports at the time stated that the pilot snatched up the 

45 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Princess and carried her to a safe position, and that a 
moment later the mast fell on the spot where she had been 
standing. But the Queen herself afterwards said that 
there was more fear than danger, and that comparatively 
little harm resulted from the accident. 

At Plymouth the Princess reviewed the 22nd, 84th, and 
89th Regiments, and presented new colors to the last. 
Afterwards a visit was paid to the Sa7i Josef, a vessel 
which had been taken by Nelson from the Spaniards at 
St. Vincent. This and the Caledonia, another warship 
which Princess Victoria boarded, each carried 120 guns. 
Not content with this, the Princess visited the Revenge, 
a two-decker of seventy-four guns, and one of the last built 
of her class. She was known long afterwards as the 
Empress, and is to be seen at the present day fulfilling the 
functions of a training-ship on the Clyde. The Eddy- 
stone Lighthouse was also visited, and the Plymouth 
breakwater was explored. 

Space would fail to describe in detail all that was done 
during this lengthy tour, during which Dartmouth, Teign- 
mouth, Dawlish, Exeter, Honiton, Axminster, Dorchester, 
Wareham, and Swanage were all visited. 

During their stay in the Isle of Wight this year an Amer- 
ican visitor, entering Arreton Churchyard to see the grave 
of the famous Dairyman's Daughter, found a young girl 
sitting by its side reading Leigh Richmond's pathetic 
story aloud to an older lady, and subsequently learned that 
they were the Princess Victoria and the Duchess of Kent. 

The year 1834 was a comparatively quiet one, and but 
little is recorded of the movements of the Princess. The 
following lines of Southey, then Poet Laureate, were 
written on her fifteenth birthday : 

When regal glory gems that brow, 
So humble, meek, and gentle now, 
May England's haughty foemen bow. 

And England's children brave 
The glory of their name avow — 

The lords of land and wave! 
46 



EARLY DAYS 

The principal event occurred in June, when she went 
in state with the King and Queen to the first performance 
of the Royal Musical Festival at Westminster Abbey. On 
the way she was everywhere greeted with enthusiasm as 
the future Queen. 

The first visit of the Princess to a racecourse occurred 
about this time, when she was taken to Ascot, where in 
the crowd was an American gentleman who wrote: "In 
one of the intervals I walked under the King's stand, and 
I saw her Majesty the Queen and the young Princess 
Victoria very distinctly. They were leaning over a railing 
listening to a ballad singer, and seeming as much in- 
terested and amused as any simple country folk could be. 
The Princess is much better-looking than any picture of 
her in the shops, and for the heir to such a crown as that 
of England unnecessarily pretty and interesting. She 
will be sold, poor thing — bartered away — by those dealers 
in royal hearts whose grand calculations will not be much 
consolation to her if she happens to have a taste of her 
own." There is no need to say how completely this pre- 
diction failed to fulfil itself. 

In the autumn Calverley House was taken for two months 
at Tunbridge Wells, a town which at that time was a more 
fashionable resort than it has now become, and to which 
the Duchess of Kent was greatly attached. Afterwards 
two quiet months were spent at St. Leonards, which was 
then a somewhat exclusive and little-frequented marine 
resort. 

The King and Queen and many members of the royal 
family attended her confirmation, which took place on 
July 30, 1835, at the Chapel Royal, St. James's. She 
received the Holy Sacrament for the first time on the follow- 
ing Sunday at Kensington. The Archbishop of Canter- 
bury and the Dean of Chester, her tutor, officiated. Soon 
after her Confirmation Princess Victoria again accompanied 
her mother to Tunbridge Wells, where she took great in- 
terest in the schools, frequently visiting them and making 
minute inquiries into the progress of the pupils. 

47 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

In September a lengthy tour was undertaken. The 
first visit was paid to the ancestral home of the Cecils at 
Hatfield. Next came visits to Stamford, Grantham, 
Newark, Doncaster, and York. Here the famous old 
minster greatly interested her, and a short stay was made 
with the Archbishop at the palace at Bishopsthorpe. 

Some days were next spent in studying the manufac- 
tories at Leeds, Wakefield, and Barnsle3^ By w^ay of 
Rotherham they proceeded to Belvoir Castle and to Went- 
worth House, where an amusing incident occurred. 

The Princess was running about one wet morning on 
the terrace, when the gardener warned her to be careful, 
as the ground was "slape." She turned and asked, 
"What is 'slape'?" At that moment her heels flew up 
and she sat down suddenly on the slippery ground. " That 
is 'slape,' miss," replied the old servant, as he hastened 
to her assistance. 

Next a short stay was made at Burghley. Greville, in 
his Memoirs, gives some interesting particulars. He 
says : " There are vast crowds of people to see the Princess 
Victoria, who comes over from Wentworth to-day." On 
September 21st he adds : " Came here on Saturday to meet 
the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria. They arrived 
from Belvoir at three o'clock in a heavy rain, the civic 
authorities having turned out at Stamford to escort 
them, and a procession of different people, all very loyal. 
When they had lunched, and the Mayor and his 
brethren had got dry, the Duchess received the address, 
which was read by Lord Exeter as Recorder. It talked 
of the Princess as destined ' to mount the throne of these 
realms. ' " 

On September 27th Greville adds : " The dinner at Burgh- 
ley was very handsome; all went off well, except that a 
pail of ice was landed in the Duchess of Kent's lap, which 
made a great bustle. Three hundred people at the ball, 
which was opened by Lord Exeter and the Princess Victoria, 
who after dancing one dance went to bed." 

From Burghley the royal party proceeded to visit Peter- 

48 



EARLY DAYS 

borough, Thornley, Wisbech, and King's Lynn. Next 
a short stay was made at Holkham. 

"Great was the preparation,'' says Lord Albemarle, 
" on this occasion. Their Royal Highnesses were expected 
at dinner, but they were detained two hours by the ' bankers' 
(navvies) of Lynn, who, in an excess of loyalty, insisted 
upon drawing the royal carriage round the town. The 
Egyptian Hall at Holkham was brilliantly lighted up, and 
filled with persons anxious for a sight of their future Queen. 

"At length the carriage and four, escorted by a body 
of Yeomanry Cavalry, drove up to the door, and three 
ladies alighted. Mr. Coke, with a candle in each hand, 
made them a profound bow. When he recovered his erect 
position the objects of his homage had vanished. They 
were the dressers ! 

" Soon after their Royal Highnesses appeared in person. 
Both were most affable. The youthful Princess in par- 
ticular showed in her demeanor that winning courtesy 
with which millions of her subjects have since become 
familiar." 

After leaving Holkham, a short stay was made at Euston 
Hall, after which the royal party returned to Kensington. 
Later on a quiet month was spent at Ramsgate, and short 
visits were paid to Walmer Castle and Dover. 

Thus we have seen how from very early years the future 
Queen of England was taught to guard her health by 
abundant exercise and almost rigid temperance ; to acquire 
fearlessness by familiarity with riding and sailing; to 
]5ractise strict economy, though never at the expense of a 
discriminating charity; and to cultivate that self-reliance 
which, while it made her independent in her opinions, 
was never allowed to degenerate into mere self-will. 

Year by year her intellectual development was provided 
for by a liberal and systematic education, while she found 
her chief recreations in travel and in the practice of music 
and drawing. 

Her father, the Duke of Kent — at any rate during the 
later years of his life — favored the Whig party, and the 

49 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

young Princess's early instructions in politics were prob- 
ably derived, in great part, from that source. It was 
very largely due to the subsequent influence of the Prince 
Consort that Queen Victoria adopted that attitude of ab- 
solute neutrality in matters of party politics which dis- 
tinguished her throughout the long years of her reign. 

In the year 1836 began certain other influences which 
were to strengthen all that was good in the training re- 
ceived in the more plastic time of childhood. King Leopold, 
whose brother was Prince Albert's father, the Duke of 
Coburg, had taken a natural interest in the succession to 
the throne, which, upon his own wife's death, had passed 
to the Princess Victoria. He had always expressed a 
strong hope that the young Coburg Prince might some day 
become the Princess's husband. 

With this end he asked his private secretary, Baron 
Stockmar, to make careful inquiries into the life and 
character of the Prince. No better agent could have been 
found than this gentleman, of whom Lord Palmerston once 
said, " I have come in my life across only one absolutely 
disinterested man — Stockmar." His report was highly 
favorable, and King Leopold persuaded the Duchess of 
Kent to invite the Duke of Coburg and his two sons to visit 
Kensington Palace. They arrived in May, and spent 
nearly four weeks in England. Thus for the first time 
the Princess saw her future husband. 

The two young men were treated to a round of gayety 
on a scale to which they had not been accustomed. They 
were feted at Windsor and at St. James's Palace by the 
King and by various members of the royal family, and 
they had opportunities of seeing all the chief attractions 
of the metropolis. They were especially impressed by the 
anniversary service of the London Charity Schools at St. 
Paul's Cathedral. After the service they were entertained 
at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayor- 
ess, and met a large gathering of the chief citizens. 

Prince Albert confessed to being rather bored by all these 
festivities, and could hardly keep awake through the long 

50 



EARLY DAYS 

hours of the balls and parties. But he was careful to men- 
tion in a letter that "Our aunt Kent is very kind to us, 
and our cousin also is very amiable." 

It was from the first to be a sine qua non that the object 
of the visit should be kept strictly secret from the Princess 
as well as from Prince Albert, so as to leave them completely 
at their ease. But at the close of their visit the Princess 
was told of the hopes cherished by her uncle, and she 
wrote to him, after the departure of Prince Albert : " I have 
now only to beg you, my dearest uncle, to take care of the 
health of one now so dear to me, and to take him under your 
special protection. I hope and trust that all will go on 
prosperously and well on this subject, now of so much 
importance to me." 

Nothing was said to Prince Albert of this letter, but the 
Princess was kept informed of the studies and movements 
of the brothers, whether they were staying at Brussels or 
at Bonn. 

From that time onward an occasional correspondence 
was kept up between the two cousins. Prince Albert sending 
accounts of his tours on the Continent, with little books 
of views of the places visited. 

The fun that was latent in Prince Albert's nature made 
his society most amusing to his companions, for he was 
an excellent mimic, and used to take off the professors at 
college. But, able as he was to see the humorous side of 
anything, he always left any frivolities for the lighter 
moments of life. 

How seriously he took serious things was shown in his 
letter to the Princess a year later, when he heard of the 
death of her uncle, the King. " Now," he wrote, " you are 
Queen of the mightiest land of Europe. In your hand 
lies the happiness of millions. May Heaven assist you and 
strengthen you with all its strength in that high but dif- 
ficult task! I hope that your reign may be long, happy, 
and glorious; and that your efforts may be rewarded by 
the thankfulness and love of your subjects." 

On May 24, 1837, the Princess celebrated her eighteenth 

51 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

birthday, and attained her legal majority. At seven 
o'clock in the morning she was serenaded at Kensington 
Palace by a band of thirty-seven performers. She sat at 
an upper window during the concert, and asked that a 
song containing expressions complimentary to her mother 
might be repeated. All through the morning congratula- 
tory visits were paid to the Duchess and her daughter, and 
numerous valuable presents arrived. The King sent a 
magnificent grand piano valued at two hundred guineas. 

In the evening a state ball took place at St. James's 
Palace, when the Princess for the first time took precedence 
of her mother, and occupied the chair of state. The King 
and Queen were absent, owing to the serious condition of 
the former, who was now upon what proved to be his death- 
bed. London was illuminated at night, and fetes were 
held in many provincial towns. 

A notable incident was the visit of the Lord Mayor and 
Aldermen of London, who proceeded in state to Kensington 
Palace to present the congratulations of the City. For 
many days afterwards addresses poured in from all parts 
of the kingdom. 

I shall make no apology for further reference to the 
Queen's childhood, for it is impossible to ignore the interest 
which attaches to legitimate domestic details among the 
Teutonic peoples. All such which are not of an indiscreet 
character, but which help to show the nature of the person 
whose memoirs are being written, are of legitimate in- 
terest. No better proof of this could have been given to 
me than that which arose from an incident showing knowl- 
edge in America of the family life of the late Chevalier de 
Bunsen, who for some years held the office of Minister of 
Prussia in London. One of his most gifted sons, George 
de Bunsen, an old friend of mine, and a member of the 
German Reichstag, came to see me in Canada. I had only 
a few hours' notice of his arrival, and was desirous to get 
some prominent men among the statesmen and judges 
at the Canadian capital to meet him. Going to their 
houses to ask these friends to dine with me, and telling 

52 



EARLY DAYS 

them who was the guest they were to meet, I found that they 
and their families knew almost as much about De Bunsen's 
father and himself as I did, for the Memoirs of the Chevalier 
had been read by almost all of them. His was certainly a 
fascinating personality, though it was not so much the 
distinguished part he took in Prussian and German politics, 
or his writings upon the Egyptian dynasties, or other works 
which had made him well known, but the pleasant pictures 
given of him as the father of his family — a good husband 
and a devoted friend. 

The experiences, therefore, of those who, in her girlhood, 
had to do with our Queen and our Queen's education, can- 
not be passed over and omitted as mere nursery tittle-tattle, 
but have a value of their own. They indicate character; 
they often show the germs of that excellence which became 
afterwards apparent to all the world. One of the most 
charming narrations of this kind is given in a journal kept 
by her tutor, the Rev. G. Davys, between April, 1823, and 
1825, now published for the first time. He writes: 

"On Mondaj^ April 7, 1823, I was introduced to the 
Duchess of Kent by Captain Conroy. 

"Wednesday, April i6th, I attended the Princess Vic- 
toria. She was not yet four years old. Her first lesson was 
the alphabet, which the Princess had learned before. Then 
the following line, b — a, b — e, b — i, b — o, b — u, b — y, 
which we did not quite conquer. The Duchess of Kent 
afterwards translated a page of French into English. 
The Duchess seems to be very anxious for the improve- 
ment of her little daughter, and had promised her a reward 
if she said a good lesson. The Princess asked for the 
reward before she began the lesson. 

" 17th. — Princess Victoria took a lesson of about three- 
quarters of an hour. The Princess had a good pronuncia- 
tion, though there were a few words which she could not 
make quite right. She confused the sound of 'v' 
with that of 'w,' and pronounced -much as inuts. We 
tried to count as far as five, and could not quite manage it. 
I tried to teach her to make an ' o ' on a slate, but could not 

53 



tVICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

make her move her hand in the right direction. The 
Duchess took no lesson. Princess Feodore read in Bel- 
zoni's Travels. 

" 2 1st. — I wrote some short words on cards for Princess 
Victoria, and endeavored to interest her by making her 
bring them to me from a distant part of the room as I named 
them. 

"24th. — Princess Victoria wished to make an 'o' when 
I wished her to make an 'h.' I had promised her that if 
she made a good copy of 'h's' to-day she should have a 
copy of ' o's ' to-morrow. We spelled some words of three 
letters. 

"25th. — A lesson of two hours with Princess Victoria 
and Princess Feodore to-day. When we were to begin our 
copy of 'o's/ Princess Victoria wished for 'h's.' She 
seems to have a will of her own. She seems to be 
a sweet-tempered child, and is soon brought to obedi- 
ence. By the Duchess's desire I brought the nursery 
rhymes, and read a story of a little girl who cried to be 
washed. 

"May 2d. — A lesson with Princess Feodore. Princess 
Victoria not well enough to take the lesson. I asked her 
to spell a few words, among the rest the word had. I believe 
she imagined that the word was intended to be applied to 
herself (which it was not), and she cried. She appears to 
be a child of great feeling. 

"5th. — Princess Victoria took a lesson at half-past 
eleven, the hour being altered in consequence of the heat 
of the weather. When the Princess took her walk or ride 
before her lesson, the Duchess gave some advice to her 
little daughter on her conduct in a beautiful manner, teach- 
ing her that her behavior should be just the same whether 
she was seen or not. 'Your Father in Heaven sees your 
heart at all times.' 

"Tuesday, 6th. — I persuaded Princess Feodore and 
Mile. Lehzen to stand up with Prin^cess Victoria in a class, 
as in the National Schools, to excite the attention of the 
young Princess. This seemed to please her. She had not 

54 



EARLY DAYS 

behaved well in the nursery, and very honestly told me 
of it. 

" 7th. — Princess Victoria and the Duchess took lessons. 
A very good report from the nursery of Princess Victoria's 
behavior. She improves in sounds. 

"12th. — The little Princess has great feeling. I tried 
to encourage her to form some letters by telling her that she 
would then, in time, be able to write a letter. ' Yes,' she 
says, 'I will write to ask about Richard Hayes.' This, 
it seems, is a man who used to wait on the Princess, but 
who broke his leg and went afterwards to Prince Leopold. 

" 13th. — She will spell little words by the sound, though 
she cannot read them. 

"May 17th. — I asked whether the little Princess had 
been good in the nursery. The Duchess said she had been 
good that morning, but that the day before there had been 
a little storm. The little one very honestly added : ' Yes, 
two storms — one at dressing, and one at washing.' 

"20th. — The Princess Victoria and Princess Feodore 
read. When I came away dinner had just been announced 
to the little Princess. I said I hoped she would be very 
good, and that she would attend to her book and read a 
good lesson. ' Yes, ' she said, ' and I will eat a good dinner. ' 

"21st. — Princess Victoria took a lesson. She seemed 
more attentive, and persevered for nearly an hour. 

" 24th. — Princess Victoria's birthday, therefore no lessons 
for her. Many presents made to her on the occasion were 
spread on a table. She had a party of little friends in the 
evening, and, as I afterwards heard, was very generous in 
lending and giving playthings to her companions. The 
King sent his picture set in diamonds. 

"28th. — ^The Princess Victoria improves in reading, 
but is still not fond of keeping her eyes long together on 
the book. I have observed in the Princess a character 
of particular honesty, a willingness to confess when she 
has done wrong. On asking her whether she did not feel 
unhappy when she had done wrong, she replied, 'Oh no'; 
and some days afterwards, when her mamma said, ' When 

55 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

you are naughty you make both me and yourself very un- 
happy/ she repHed, ' No, mamma, not fncj not myself, 
but you.' 

" My httle boy fell ill of the measles, and I therefore did 
not attend at the palace until June 30. The little Princess 
seemed to have improved rather than gone back during 
my absence. Princess Feodore had taken pains with 
her. 

"July 1st. — A lesson of two hours and a quarter with 
Princess Victoria and Princess Feodore. The- little Prin- 
cess improves in attention. She attended well for an hour. 
I was glad that the Duchess asked me to go half an hour 
sooner than usual, as before there was scarcely time enough 
to do much. 

" August 15th. — On this day the Duchess and her suite 
went to Ramsgate on board the steam-packet from the 
Tower at eight o'clock, intending to stay two months, so 
that having now a cessation from business, and not having 
kept any daily account of our progress, I shall here write 
down such observations as have occurred to me during the 
late lessons. The Princess is volatile, dislikes fixing her 
attention, and though willing to listen to any story when 
read to her, is not persevering enough to try to make out 
any little stories for herself, though she very easily could. 
She is very good-tempered and very affectionate, and al- 
most cries at any little account of distress which her little 
books relate She is much pleased with stories of kindness 
to animals, and shows the marks of a tenderness of dis- 
position. She is so young that much progress could not 
be expected. Still, upon the whole, I am not quite satis- 
fied with her progress in reading, though she advances in 
knowledge. 

"October 6th. — The Duchess and family returned from 
Ramsgate on the 2nd, and we resumed our lessons on this 
da3^ The Princess seemed somewhat less averse to looking 
at her book. 

"Saturday, October nth. — I attended every morning 
this week, excepting on this day, when the family went to 

56 



EARLY DAYS 

Claremont to Prince Leopold to make a stay of some weeks. 
It was agreed that I should go over twice a week. 

"October 14th. — I went to Claremont in a gig belonging 
to the Duchess. It was a cold, foggy morning, and the 
Duchess showed much kindness and fear lest I should 
take cold. She ordered some hot tea immediately, and 
wrote to Kensington to give orders that I should no longer 
come in a gig without a head, and a new gig was accord- 
ingly ordered. I mention this to show the kind and consid- 
erate disposition of her Royal Highness. I stayed about 
two hours, and the princesses took their lessons. Prince 
Leopold was present, and joined in hearing the little Prin- 
cess read her lesson. She can spell little words when they 
are sounded to her, but does not like to read them from the 
book herself. At this the Prince seemed mortified. 

"October 21st. — The little Princess had not been behav- 
ing well in the morning, and the Duchess told me that 
she was afraid we should not have a good lesson, which 
proved to be true. The Princess was very inattentive. 

"24th. — A pretty good lesson. We walked to Prince 
Leopold's farm. The little Princess showed a great desire 
to see the farmer's wife's baby, and then a lamb, and, in 
short, everything. She was, of course, gratified. She is 
of a very affectionate disposition. 

" 1824, January 12th. — I found the Duchess returned to 
Kensington. She was so obliging as to present me with 
a very pretty book. The Princess Victoria is improving 
in reading. Miss Lehzpn has taken great pains with her. 

"June 15th. — During the long time that I have omitted 
to write down any remarks the little Princess has made 
very considerable progress in her reading. She is often 
much amused with the little stories in her books, and reads 
nursery rhymes with great spirit. Her eyes are much 
more steadily fixed upon her book, but there is still room 
for improvement in this respect. She can write very well 
for her age in pencil. Miss Lehzen's management of the 
Princess is extremely good. She allows of no indulgence 
of wrong dispositions, but corrects everything like re- 

57 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

sistance, or a spirit of contradiction, such as all children 
will indulge if they can. The little Princess is, however, 
of a most amiable disposition and very affectionate. An 
old nurse who had been with her from her birth, and had 
now left her, came one day to visit her, and the little girl 
was so affected at the sight of her that she could not re- 
cover herself for some hours, shedding tears and sobbing 
at the thoughts of her ' dear Boppy. ' 

" 1825, April 6th. — The Princess Victoria began to take 
lessons of a writing-master, Mr. Steward. I had previous- 
ly, however, found it necessary, for the sake of fixing the 
attention of the Princess, to teach her to write, and she 
can already write on a slate short sentences. This makes 
also a lesson in spelling. I have not lately kept a journal, 
one day being so much like another, but continued experi- 
ence convinces me of the delightful disposition of the child. 
She is also quick of comprehension, and takes an inter- 
est in the accounts which she reads; but there is still a 
great reluctance in giving that attention which is required 
to master difficulties. The Princess, however, is under 
six years of age, and consequently much cannot be ex- 
pected. I have endeavored to teach the Princess a little 
arithmetic. She can now read with tolerable facility." 

The diary stops here, but was taken up again from Jan- 
uary I to April 25, 1837. It just mentions that the Princess 
is reading Hume, Virgil, Paradise Lost, Rokeby, Boswell's 
Life of Johnson, Palej^'s Moral Philosophy, President 
Jackson's Message to Congress, a speech by Sir Robert 
Peel to the Glasgow University, and the Memoirs of Mrs. 
Lucy Hutchinson, but there are no observations, except 
that the Princess wished they had hanged Titus Oates and 
Bedloe instead of Ireland and Coleman. 

Bishop Davys used to remark on the Princess's punctu- 
ality. However interested she seemed to be in the book, 
as soon as the clock struck she would stop and say, " Twelve 
o'clock, Mr. Dean." There is still a letter from her, writ- 
ten in large printed characters, "My dear sir, I have not 
forgotten my letters, and I will not forget you." 

58 



EARLY DAYS 

The Duchess of Cleveland, who was the life-long friend 
of Queen Victoria, was good enough to contribute some 
of her personal reminiscences of the early days of her 
late Majesty. They have never before been made public, 
and are of special interest as coming from one of the very 
few persons lately living who took part in the coronation 
ceremonies of 1838. They also possess something of the 
charm that distinguished their author's brilliant conver- 
sation. The Duchess was present as a child at the first 
ball the Princess Victoria attended ; she was train-bearer 
to the sovereign at her coronation, and was one of the 
bridesmaids at her wedding. 

The following note refers to the first of the above events, 
but came to hand too late to be inserted in its proper place : 

" My mother always told me that the Queen and I used 
to be measured together as little children, but I remember 
nothing of it. 

" My first recollection of her is at a Court ball given for 
the Queen of Portugal. I wrote (I always was made to 
write in French) : ' Je vis a cette occasion tres bien notre fu- 
ture reine, Victoria: c'est une petite princesse qui a un 
visage enfantin. Ses cheveux sont retrousses derriere les 
oreilles k Tallemande : elle portait une simple robe blanche, 
toute unie: et un fichu. Son cou est un peu epais; elle 
n'est pas jolie, du reste. ' 

"This, I think, always remained strictly true. The 
Queen never, at any time, could have been called pretty ; 
but when, at eighteen, she came to the throne, she was 
distinctly attractive : her small, fair head, well set on ex- 
tremely pretty shoulders, singularly graceful in all her 
movements, with a great charm of manner, the brightest 
and gayest of smiles, and a remarkably clear and musical 
voice. 

"There was something pathetic, too, in her extreme 
youthfulness : her face had still the flush and flower-like 
look of childhood, from which, small and slim as she was, 
she might easily be supposed to have not yet emerged. 
Yet this little figure was not one to be overlooked. She 

59 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

had so much natural dignity, and such an air of distinc- 
tion, that it was said of her — and, I think, with perfect 
truth — that in whatever dress, or even disguise, she might 
appear, she would always be recognized as a great person- 
age when she came into the room." 

Early in the year 1837, King William IV. gave a mag- 
nificent f^te in London in honor of the Queen, the young 
Princess Victoria going to pay a visit of congratulation to 
her Majesty. She was reported by loyal observers on this 
occasion as "in high health and spirits, and much ad- 
mired for the elegance and simplicity of her manner." 

These festivities were the last in which the King was 
fated to join. The cares of State had not spared him, and 
it was believed that the great change in his habits had done 
harm to his health. He took less and less interest in State 
affairs, and seemed to do everything with a great sense of 
weariness. He suffered pains in the chest, and died early 
in the morning of June 20, 1837, at the age of seventy- 
two, after having reigned nearly seven years. It was 
remembered in his praise that at the time of danger he 
had been able to steer a middle course, being less secluded 
than George IV., and with less familiarity than was to be 
found in the manners of Louis Philippe. 



CHAPTER II 

ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

In the small hours of the morning of June 20, 1837, the 
Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Howley) and the Lord 
Chamberlain (the Marquis Conyngham) might have been 
seen coming post-haste from Windsor to London. About 
five o'clock they reached Kensington, shortly after day- 
break, and made their way through the gardens, where 
the dew lay thick and the birds were singing merrily, to 
the outer gate of the palace. Nobody was astir, and we 
are told that they knocked and rang and thumped for a 
long time before they gained admission. 

When the gate was at last opened, the two lords were 
left waiting in one of the ante-rooms until their patience 
was entirely exhausted. They called an attendant, and 
demanded to see the Princess at once. Presently one of 
the ladies-in-waiting appeared and said that the Princess 
was still asleep and must not be wakened. The Lord 
Chamberlain then said, " We are come on business of State 
to the Queen, and even her sleep must give way to that." 
This startling message at once had the desired effect. 

There are four long windows on the first floor in the west 
wing facing south at Kensington Palace. They are the 
first next to the great central mass of the building. The 
one farthest to the west was the little room which was used 
by Baroness Lehzen as a study. The other three belonged 
to the bedroom used by Queen Victoria. Just beyond 
these two rooms the other apartments of the wing belonged 
to the Duke of Sussex, and when the Princess at times had 
been inclined to be too noisy the Baroness used to tell her 
not to talk so loud as she would disturb Uncle Sussex. 

61 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

It was to the door of this room that a hurried footstep 
came early in the morning to say that two messengers 
had arrived from Windsor and had insisted upon an im- 
mediate interview with the Princess. Only half awake, 
she heard that she was Queen, for King William had died. 
Rising, she put on a dressing-gown, and a shawl over 
her shoulders, and slippers on her feet, and went down 
the stairs to where the two were awaiting her. Lord 
Conyngham knelt down before the little figure that stood 
looking so slight, with her hair falling down over her 
shoulders, and formally presented a paper announcing 
the King's death. The Archbishop added that he, on 
his part, had been asked by Queen Adelaide to come at 
once to Kensington, as it was thought the Queen, as he 
now called the Princess for the first time, would like to 
hear how peaceful had been the end of the King. 

Meanwhile, the usual messengers had been despatched 
to the Privy Councillors, and an address, assuring the 
new Queen of the homage of her subjects, had been drawn 
up and taken by Mr. Leonard, the chief clerk, to Ken- 
sington. 

When the clerk to the Privy Council was introduced 
to the central room, facing the Round Pond, which, like 
the council -room next door, has a ceiling supported by 
round white wooden columns, that official found only 
six persons present, among whom were the Duke of 
Sussex, the Duke of Wellington, and Lord Melbourne. 
Afterwards, about a dozen ministers, prelates, and officials 
were admitted. The address was read aloud and signed 
by the Duke of Sussex, when the doors were opened, and 
a young lady, vsmall, slight, and of fair complexion, ap- 
parently about fifteen years of age, appeared. She was 
dressed in a close-fitting dress of black silk, her hair parted 
and drawn from her forehead. She wore no ornaments 
whatever on her dress or person. The Duke of Sussex 
advanced, and embraced and kissed her. Lord Melbourne 
and others kissed hands in the usual form, and the usher 
took the address, closed the folding-doors, and the Queen 

62 




THE QUEEN RECEIVING THE NEWS OF HER ACCESSION AT KENSINGTON 
PALACE, JUNE 20, 1837 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

disappeared. No word was uttered by her Majesty or 
any of those present, and no sound broke the silence which 
seemed to add to the impressive solemnity and interest of 
the scene. 

This was all very soon over, and the first council met 
at eleven o'clock. The Queen was present in a black 
dress, although Sir David Wilkie thought it more fitting 
to the purpose of his picture to paint her in white. Her 
two uncles introduced her to the council-room, where a 
seat had been prepared for her at the end of a table which 
took up much of the space in the apartment. 

" Never," said Greville, who was present, " was anything 
like the first impression she produced, or the chorus of 
praise and admiration which is raised about her man- 
ner and behavior, and certainly not without justice. It 
was very extraordinary and something far beyond what 
was looked for. Her extreme youth and inexperience, 
and the ignorance of the world concerning her, naturally 
excited intense curiosity to see how she would act on this 
trying occasion. There was a considerable assembly 
at the palace, notwithstanding the short notice which was 
given to the Privy Councillors. She bowed to the lords, 
took her seat, and then read her speech in a clear, distinct, 
and audible voice, and without any appearance of fear or 
embarrassment. She was quite plainly dressed and in 
mourning. After she had read her speech and taken and 
signed the oath for the security of the Church of Scotland, 
the Privy Councillors were sworn. The two royal dukes 
first by themselves — and as these two old men, her uncles, 
knelt before her swearing allegiance and kissing her hand, 
I saw her blush up to her eyes as if she felt the contrast 
between her civil and her natural relations. This was 
the only sign of emotion which she evinced. Her manner 
to them was very graceful and engaging. She kissed 
them both and rose from her chair and moved towards 
the Duke of Sussex, who was farthest from her and too 
infirm to reach her. She seemed rather bewildered at 
the multitude of men who were sworn, and who came up 

63 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

one after another to kiss her hand, but she did not speak 
to anybody, nor did she make the shghtest difference in 
her manner or show any in her countenance to any in- 
dividual of any rank, station, or party. I particularly 
watched her and Melbourne and the ministers when the 
Duke of Wellington and Peel approached her. She went 
through the whole ceremony — occasionally looking at 
Melbourne for instructions when she had any doubt what 
to do, which hardly ever occurred — with perfect calmness 
and self-possession, but at the same time with a graceful 
modesty and propriety particularly interesting and in- 
gratiating. When the business was done she retired as 
she had entered." 

The Queen's address at this first council was as follows : 

"The severe and afflicting loss which the nation has 
sustained by the death of his Majesty, my beloved uncle, 
has devolved upon me the duty of administering the govern- 
ment of this empire. This awful responsibility is imposed 
on me so suddenly, and at so early a period of my life, that 
I should feel myself utterly oppressed by the burden, were 
I not sustained by the hope that Divine Providence, which 
has called me to this work, will give me strength for the 
performance of it, and that I shall find, in the purity of 
my intentions and in my zeal for the public welfare, that 
support and those resources which usually belong to a 
more mature age and to long experience. 

" L place my firm reliance on the wisdom of Parliament 
and upon the loyalty and affection of my people. I esteem 
it also a peculiar advantage that I succeed to a sovereign 
whose constant regard for the rights and liberties of his 
subjects, and whose desire to promote the amelioration of 
the laws and institutions of the country, have rendered 
his name the object of great attachment and veneration. 

" Educated in England, under the tender and enlightened 
care of a most affectionate mother, I have learned from 
my infancy to respect and love the constitution of my 
native country. 

" It will be my unceasing study to maintain the Reformed 

64 




THE QUEEN PRESIDING OVER HER FIRST COUNCIL 
(From a painting by Sir David Wilkie, R.A.) 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

religion as by law established, securing at the same time 
to all the full enjoyment of religious liberty; and I shall 
steadily protect the rights, and promote to the utmost of 
my power the happiness and welfare of all classes of my 
subjects." 

Peel said how amazed he was at her manner and be- 
havior, at her apparent deep sense of her situation, her 
modesty, and at the same time her firmness. She ap- 
peared, in fact, to be awed, but not daunted, and afterwards 
the Duke of Wellington said the same thing, and added 
that if she had been his own daughter he could not have 
desired to see her perform her part better. 

Lord Grey wrote : " When called upon for the first time 
to appear before the Privy Council to take upon herself 
the awful duties with which, at so early an age, she had 
been so suddenly charged, there was in her appearance 
and demeanor a composure, a propriety, an aplomb, which 
were quite extraordinary. She never was in the least 
degree confused, embarrassed, or hurried. She read the 
declaration beautifully, and went through the f onus of busi- 
ness as if she had been accustomed to them all her life." 

Lord Palmerston also declared that the Queen went 
through her task with great dignity and self-possession. 
One saw she felt much inward emotion, but it was fully 
controlled. Her articulation was particularly good, her 
voice remarkably easy. 

In the Life of Dean Stanley the following account is 
given of the Queen's own version of the news of her acces- 
sion, as given to the Dean : 

" It was thus : About 6 A.M. mamma came and called 
me, and said I must go and see Lord Conyngham directly 
— alone. I got up, put on my dressing-gown, and w^ent 
into a room, where I found Lord Conyngham and the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury. Lord Conyngham knelt, kissed 
my hand, and gave me the certificate of the King's death. 

" In an hour from that time Baron Stockmar came. He 
had been sent over by King Leopold on hearing of the 
dangerous illness. At 2 P.M. that same day I went to the 

65 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

council, led by my two uncles, the King of Hanover and 
the Duke of Cambridge. 

" Lord Melbourne was very useful to me, but I can never 
be sufi&ciently thankful that I passed safely through those 
two years to my marriage. Then I was in a safe haven, 
and there I remained for twenty years. Now that is over, 
and I am again at sea, always wishing to consult one who 
is not here, groping by myself with a constant sense of 
desolation." 

The ceremonies on the accession of a sovereign follow 
quickly one after the other. On the next day the Queen 
had to go to St. James's to witness herself proclaimed by 
the heralds to a great crowd in the court-yard beneath, who 
cheered most heartily. But those who stood nearest were 
thrilled more deeply when they looked at the central figure 
of that great assemblage and saw that the tears were fall- 
ing fast from the young Queen's eyes. 

" She saw no purple shine. 

For tears had dimmed her eyes; 
She only knew her childhood's flowers 

Were happier pageantries! 
And while the heralds played their part 
Those million shouts to drown — 
' God Save the Queen,' from hill to mart — 
She heard through aU her beating heart. 
And turned and wept; 
She wept to wear a crown. 

** God bless thee, weeping Queen, 

With blessings more divine, 
And fill with better love than earth 

That tender heart of thine; 
That when the thrones of earth shall be 

As low as graves brought down, 
A pierced Hand may give to thee 
The crown which angels shout to see. 

Thou wilt not weep 
To wear that heavenly crown." 

—Mrs. Browning, 
66 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

Staying in town she had to preside over another council 
a few hours later. "She presided/' wrote one who was 
present, " with as much ease as if she had been doing noth- 
ing else all her life, and though Lord Lansdowne and my 
colleague had tried between them to make some confusion 
of the council papers, she was not put out by it. She 
looked very well, and though so small in stature, and with- 
out much pretension to beauty, the gracefulness of her 
manner and the good expression of her countenance gave 
her, on the whole, a very agreeable appearance; and, 
with her youth, inspired an excessive interest in all who 
approach her, which I cannot help feeling myself." After 
the council she received the archbishops and bishops, 
and after them the judges. 

Another wrote : " The Bishop of London said that when 
the bishops were first presented to the Queen she received 
them with all possible dignity and then retired. She 
passed through a glass door, and, forgetting its transpar- 
ency, was seen to run off like the girl she is. This is just 
as it should be. If she had not now the high spirits of 
a girl of eighteen, we should have less reason to hope 
she would turn out a sensible woman at thirty." Lord 
Conyngham, when he told her of the King's death, had 
brought a request from the Queen Dowager that she might 
be permitted to remain at Windsor till after the funeral. 
The Queen sent, in reply, a letter couched in the kindest 
terms, begging her to consult nothing but her own health 
and convenience, and to remain at Windsor just as long 
as she pleased. " In short, she appears to act with every 
sort of good taste and good feeling, as well as good sense, 
and, as far as it has gone, nothing can be more favorable 
than the impression she has made; nothing can promise 
better than her manner and conduct. The young Queen, 
who might well be either dazzled or confounded with the 
grandeur and novelty of her situation, seems neither the 
one nor the other, and behaves with a propriety and deco- 
rum beyond her years." 

It was at Windsor that the obsequies of William IV. were 

67 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

performed. The coffin lay in State, covered with a crimson 
pall, in the Waterloo Chamber. The two crowns of Eng- 
land and Hanover lay on it, with a great purple canopy 
above. The banners of the two German States, Hanover 
and Brunswick, hung around those of the British king- 
doms. The gentlemen-at-arms, the yeomen of the guard, 
and the lords of the bedchamber, guarded the body thus 
gorgeously surrounded. On the day he was to be laid to 
rest a procession was marshalled in St. George's Hall, 
and, taken out into the upper ward, was brought through 
the Norman Gateway to the music of the "Dead March" 
down to St. George's Chapel. A purple canopy above the 
coffin was borne by ten peers, sixteen admirals and gen- 
eral officers. Six dukes, of whom Wellington was one, and 
four eldest sons of dukes supported a purple velvet pall, 
ornamented with the escutcheons of the imperial arms. 
Wellington stood with the Duke of Norfolk near the chief 
mourner, who was the old Duke of Sussex, in red uni- 
form and black skull cap. Prince George of Cambridge, 
then a lad, was present, as he was sixty-four years later 
as a field-marshal, in the last dread but beautiful cere- 
mony of February, 1901. 

Kensington Palace was to know the Queen no more as a 
resident. Buckingham Palace was to be her London home. 
Great crowds assembled wherever she went, and the first 
great State ceremonial which gave her people an opportu- 
nity to see her as sovereign was the dissolution of Parlia- 
ment, to which she went in a State carriage, clothed in 
white, a lofty tiara of diamonds on her head, and the blue 
ribbon of the Garter across her chest. Lord Melbourne 
stood at her side while she was seated on the throne. She 
declared her sense of the deep responsibility imposed upon 
her, adding : " I am supported by the consciousness of my 
own right intentions, and by my dependence upon the pro- 
tection of Almighty God. It will be my care to strengthen 
our institutions, civil and ecclesiastical, by discreet im- 
provement, and to do all in my power to compose and allay 
animosity and discord. Acting upon these principles, I 

68 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

shall, upon all occasions, look with confidence to the wis- 
dom of Parliament, and the afifection of my people, which 
form the true support of the dignity of the crown and in- 
sure the stability of the constitution." 

King Leopold came to pay her a visit at Windsor soon 
afterwards. Sir Charles Murray wrote of this visit: "I 
was presented and kissed hands, after which I joined the 
cavalcade consisting of twenty-five or thirty equestrians, 
and we made a promenade about the Great Park for about 
two hours. There was ^.ittle or no formal ceremony ob- 
served as to precedence. The Queen rode generally in 
front, accompanied by the '3ueen of the Belgians, the King, 
and the Duchess of Kent. And now and then she called 
up Lord Cowper, Wellington, or Melbourne to ride beside 
her. Her Majesty's seat on horseback is easy and grace- 
ful, and the early habit of command observable in all her 
movements and gestures is agreeably relieved by the 
gentle tone of voice and the natural playfulness with which 
she addresses her relatives and the ladies about her. I 
never saw a more quick or observant eye. In the course 
of the ride it glanced occasionally over every individual 
of the party, and I am sure that neither absence nor impro- 
priety of any kind could escape detection. At half-past 
seven the guests and the household again met her Majesty 
in the corridor, and we proceeded to dinner, the arrange- 
ments for which were handsome and without parade. The 
ladies retired to the drawing-room, and we followed in a 
quarter of an hour. The band was in attendance at and 
after dinner, and played some excellent music, the chief 
of which was by Rossini and Bellini. During the evening 
her Majesty conversed with her principal guests. She 
also played two games of draughts with the Queen of the 
Belgians, both of which she gained. There was a whist 
table at which were the Duchess of Kent, the King of the 
Belgians, the Duke of Wellington, and Lilford." 

On another day he says : " We rode out at four o'clock 
and went rather slowly, and had but a short ride. Our 
young Queen's manner to King Leopold is most respectful 

69 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

and affectionate. Indeed, her manner to every one about 
her is perfectly winning and appropriate, and her coun- 
tenance Hghts up with the most agreeable and intelligent 
expression possible. On Sunday we accompanied her 
Majesty to the chapel, and the party included her royal 
visitors as well as the Chancellor, the Premier, the Master 
of the Horse, etc. In the afternoon she took a short ride 
in the Great Park, and I went out on the terrace, which 
presented a very gay and beautiful appearance, as the 
bands, both of the Grenadiers and Life Guards, were 
playing near the new fountain, and all the officers of 
the new regiments, as well as the belles of Windsor 
and the neighborhood, were enjoying their holiday 
promenade. 

"At dinner I had a very interesting conversation with 
Baroness Lehzen, who has been for many years her 
Majesty's governess. I know of nothing more creditable 
to herself, or to her illustrious pupil, than the fact that one 
of the first acts of her reign was to secure the Baroness a 
situation about her own person. The Queen treats her 
with the most kind and affectionate confidence. I am 
told that all the Queen's private correspondence was care- 
fully copied by the Baroness before and since coming to 
the throne, but that since her Majesty's accession she has 
not shown her one letter of cabinet or State documents, 
nor has she spoken to her, nor to any woman, about or 
upon party or political questions. As Queen she reserves 
all her confidences for her official advisers, while as a wom- 
an she is as frank, gay, and unreserved as when she was a 
young girl. I had a long conversation with her on the 24th, 
while riding, chiefly on the subject of modern languages. 
Her conversation is very agreeable. Both her ideas 
and her language are natural and original, while there 
is latent independence of mind. Her strength of judg- 
ment is discernible through the feminine gentleness of tone 
in which her voice is pitched. Every day that I have 
passed here has increased my admiration for the excellent 
judgment shown by Madame Lehzen in her education, and 

70 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

for the amiable and grateful feeling evinced by the Queen 
towards her governess. It does the highest honor to both. 

" There is another person in the household whose charac- 
ter it is not easy to penetrate or to describe — viz.. Baron 
Stockmar. He is certainly possessed of great abilities, 
and is silent and reserved, while his general state of health 
seems almost to preclude the possibility of his being lively 
or communicative. At dinner he eats nothing, and talks 
less than he eats; but I observe he holds quiet conversa- 
tions with Lords Melbourne and Palmerston in the morn- 
ing, and I should think it likely that he was much in the 
confidence of the Queen. He is a most intimate friend of 
the King of the Belgians. 

" A day or two ago the Queen inspected the Life Guards 
and Grenadiers on horseback, accompanied by the Duchess 
of Kent, Lords Hill, Conyngham, and the rest of her suite. 
She was dressed in a habit of Windsor uniform, and wore 
a military cap with a gold band passing under the chin. 
As the several companies and squadrons passed and saluted 
her, she raised her hand and returned the salute of each, 
and the grave earnestness of her manner, as well as the 
graceful self-possession of her attitude, struck me par- 
ticularly." 

Greville thought the new Queen inclined to be liberal, 
but at the same time prudent, with regard to money, for 
when the Queen Dowager proposed to her to take her band 
into her service, she declined to incur so great an expense 
without further consideration; and one of the first things 
she spoke to Melbourne about was the payment of her 
father's debts. 

"George Villiers, who came from Windsor on Monday, 
told me he had been extremely struck with Lord Melbourne's 
manner to the Queen and hers to him — his so parental and 
anxious, but always so respectful and deferential, hers 
indicative of such entire confidence and such pleasure in 
his society. She is constantly talking to him, let who will 
be there. He always sits next her at dinner, evidently by 
arrangement, because he always takes in the lady-in- 

71 



VICTORIA R. T. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

waiting, which necessarily places him next to her, the eti- 
quette being that the lady-in-waiting sits next but one to 
the Queen. It is not unnatural, and to him it is peculiarly 
interesting. I have no doubt he is passionately fond of 
her, as he might be of his own daughter if he had one, and 
the more because he is a man with a capacity for loving 
without having anything in the world to love. It has 
become his providence to educate, instruct, and form the 
most interesting mind and character in the world. No 
occupation was ever more engrossing or involved greater 
responsibility. I have no doubt Pvlelbourne is both equal 
to and worthy of the task, and that it is fortunate that she 
has fallen into his hands, and that he discharges this great 
duty wisely, honorably, and conscientiously. 

"There are, however, or rather may be hereafter, in- 
conveniences in the establishment of such an intimacy 
and in a connection of so close and affectionate a nature 
between a young Queen and her Minister; for whenever 
the government, which hangs by a thread, shall be broken 
up, the parting will be painful, and their subsequent re- 
lations will not be without embarrassment to themselves, 
nor fail to be the cause of jealousy in others. It is a great 
proof of the discretion and purity of his conduct and be- 
havior that he is admired, respected, and liked by all the 
Court." 

From Windsor the Queen proceeded to Brighton, where 
she stayed a few weeks at the quaint Pavilion with its 
many domes and minarets, returning to London in No- 
vember. 

The Lord Mayor's Day this year was notable, in that the 
reigning monarch took part in the festivities. The royal 
procession from St. James's Palace to the Guildhall in- 
cluded two hundred carriages, was a mile and a half long, 
and took two hours and a half on the way. At the banquet 
the Queen proposed the health of the Lord Mayor, upon 
whom she conferred a baronetcy, in addition to knighting 
the two sheriffs, one of whom was Mr. Moses Montefiore, 
the first Jew who ever received the honor in England. 

72 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

On the 20th of the same month the Queen opened 
her first Parliament, which during its session voted the 
sum of £385,000 as the annual income of the monarch. 
We have already mentioned that the first use made by the 
Queen of this money was to pay all her father's debts, and 
it is said that her mother met with a pleasant surprise one 
morning by finding on her breakfast-table receipted bills 
for all her outstanding accounts. In the mean time the 
Queen was learning more and more how much in the way 
of actual work was involved in her high position. 

The following lines were copied out by the late Mrs. 
Smith, of Jordanhill, in April, 1840. They were probably 
written just after the Queen's accession; the author is 
unknown : 

" Pray for your Queen! upon your Sovereign's brow 

Youth lingers still, nor has experience there 

Written her duties in the lines of care. 
The hand that holds fair England's sceptre now 

Is but a gentle maiden's : can it clasp 

That mighty symbol with a steady grasp? 
Dark clouds are lowering o'er our sunny sky: 

If they should gather, could that fragile form 
' Ride on the whirlwind and direct the storm?' 
Wisdom, strength, energy, are from on high — 

Wouldst thou enrich her with these blessings? pray; 

One reigns above that heaven and earth obey. 

" Pray for your Queen! hers is a woman's heart. 

And woman's perils lurk around her way; 

Pleasure may lead her heedless steps astray. 
Or flattery soothe when conscience wings its dart. 

Love, that sweet well-spring of domestic joy. 

Scarce rises in a Court without alloy; 
And woman's sorrows may be hers to share 

Sunshine hath beamed upon her path thus far. 

But this bright scene one sudden storm would mar. 
And England's Rose might droop, though now so fair. 

Say, wouldst thou shield her from these perils? pray; 

Strength shall be granted equal to her day." 

73 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

And now it was time for the Queen to be crowned. This 
took place on Thursday, June 28, 1838. It was remarked 
that it was the first time that the British people had had 
occasion to crown a young and pretty woman. Queen 
Anne had suffered from gout and had become middle- 
aged, so that at the time of her crowning she could neither 
walk far nor stand long. Queen Elizabeth was a good 
deal older when she succeeded. 

It was resolved that befitting pomp should accompany 
so novel a situation; but the government had had a con- 
siderable deficit in their annual budget, and so they in- 
tended to make the ceremony as brief as possible. Lord 
Fitzwilliam, in the House of Lords, made a speech in which 
he implied that a great deal of show on such an occasion 
was only fit for a barbarous age. But he found no response 
in the assembly he addressed. Nevertheless, Lord Mel- 
bourne was persuaded to forego some of those observances 
which had been carried out when George IV. became King, 
such as the walking procession of all the estates of the 
realm, and the great banquet in Westminster Hall. It 
was remembered that on the last feast, as soon as the chief 
personages had quitted their seats, a rush had been made 
by the well-dressed people in the stands and galleries to 
despoil the tables of some of the small plate, which was 
carried away as souvenirs. 

The tradesmen remonstrated at the proposed curtail- 
ment, but were assured there would be sufficient ceremony 
to attract crowds and to make the purchase of costumes 
necessary. The famous Marshal Soult, who had opposed 
our troops so vigorously in the Peninsula, was sent as 
Ambassador from the King of France, and brought over 
with him a State carriage that had been used by the Prince 
of Conde. At a party given by the Duke of Sutherland at 
Stafford House, Soult met his old opponent, the Duke of 
Wellington, who asked him to come with him to see the 
pictures in the gallery. Taking Soult's arm, the Duke 
led him to where, enshrined in gorgeous frames, were two 
famous pieces of "loot" that Soult had taken from the 

74 




THE QUEEN AT THE AGE OF NINETEEN IN HER ROBES OF STATE 
(From the painting by Sir George Hayter) 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

galleries of Madrid — viz., the two splendid paintings by 
Murillo, the one representing the visit of the three angels 
to Abraham, and the other, more striking in color and in 
composition, the return of the prodigal son. Soult was 
much interested in seeing his plunder thus worthily set 
among masterpieces of the great European schools. 
Murillo's paintings had been captured by the allies at 
the occupation of Paris, and, having been put up for sale, 
had thus found their way to England. 

Soult's was not the only remarkable carriage in the 
coronation procession, for the Duke of Devonshire had a 
gorgeous vehicle which had been built when he went as 
Envoy Extraordinary to St. Petersburg. 

The procession formed near Buckingham Palace and 
started at lo A.M., with trumpeters and a squadron of the 
Household Brigade. Then followed foreign ambassadors 
and ministers, bands, more cavalry, and the carriages of 
the Duchesses of Kent and Gloucester, the Duke and Duch- 
ess of Cambridge, and the Duke of Sussex, more mounted 
bands, and the Queen's barge-master and nearly fifty 
watermen, these preceding twelve royal carriages con- 
veying the household. Then more cavalry and more 
music, and the staff and distinguished ofi&cers ; the Royal 
Huntsmen, the Yeomen Prickers and Foresters, the Yeo- 
men of the Guard and their officers. Then, in her State 
carriage, drawn by eight cream-colored horses, the Queen. 
She was followed by the captain of the Royal Archer 
Guard of Scotland, and cavalry. 

Proceeding along Constitution Hill, Piccadilly, down 
St. James's Street to Pall Mall and Charing Cross, the 
procession wended its way to Whitehall and Parliament 
Street, and thence to the west door of Westminster Abbey. 
Galleries had been raised to hold four hundred persons — 
a small provision compared with that of the Jubilee time. 
A temporary organ and orchestra had been placed at the 
west end of the choir. Upon an open colonnade of pointed 
arches another gallery at the east end beyond the altar was 
arranged for six hundred persons, and reserved for the Com- 

75 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

mons. Two more galleries above St. Edward's Chapel 
provided space among others for the trumpeters. Above 
the sacrarium were boxes for the sovereign, the Earl Mar- 
shal, the ambassadors, and the Lord Chamberlain. The 
peeresses were in the north transept, the peers in the south, 
the judges and Knights of the Bath and aldermen in the 
choir, the bishops on the floor to the north with the clergy 
of Westminster, and the royal family opposite. The royal 
box was filled with relatives from abroad. The clergy 
headed the procession, followed by heralds and household 
officers, then prelates and officers of State, then the Duchess 
of Cambridge, wearing a robe of purple velvet, her train 
borne by a lady. After her the Duchess of Kent. Both 
these royal duchesses wore a circlet on their heads, having 
their coronets borne before them. Of the regalia, the St. 
Edward's staff was carried by the Duke of Roxburghe, 
the golden spurs by Lord Byron, the sceptre with the cross 
by the Duke of Cleveland, a third sword by the Marquis of 
Westminster, the curtana by the Duke of Devonshire, and 
the second sword by the Duke of Sutherland. The coronets 
of these noblemen were carried by pages. After the Black 
Rod, the Deputy Garter, and the Lord Great Chamberlain 
of England came the Duke of Cambridge in his robes of State 
with his baton of field-marshal, his coronet borne by the 
Marquis of Granby, his train by General Sir William Gomm. 
The Duke of Sussex in his robes of State followed, his coro- 
net borne by Viscount Anson, his train by Edward Gore and 
Lord Coke. Then came the Duke of Leinster as High Con- 
stable of Ireland, the Earl of Errol as High Constable of 
Scotland, the Duke of Norfolk as Earl Marshal, with his 
baton, and the Duke of Wellington as Lord High Constable 
of England, with his staff and field-marshal's baton. The 
sword of State was borne by Viscount Melbourne, and the 
sceptre with the dove by the Duke of Richmond ; St. Ed- 
ward's crown by the Duke of Hamilton, the orb by the Duke 
of Somerset, the patina by the Bishop of Bangor, the Bible 
by the Bishop of Winchester, and the chalice by the Bishop 
of Lincoln. They preceded the Queen, who wore a royal 

76 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

robe of crimson velvet, furred with ermine and bordered 
with gold lace, the collars of the orders of the Garter, Thistle, 
Bath, and St. Patrick, and a circlet of gold. 

Her Majesty was supported on either side by the Bishops 
of Bath and Wells and Durham. Her train was borne by 
the Ladies Adelaide Paget, Frances Cowper, Anne Fitz- 
william, Mary Grimstone, Caroline Lennox, Mary Talbot, 
Wilhelmina Stanhope, and Louisa Jenkinson, assisted by 
the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Conyngham, followed by the 
Groom of the Robes, Captain Francis Seymour, with ten 
gentlemen-at-arms on either side, with their lieutenant, 
standard bearer, clerk of the check, and harbinger. After 
these came the Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the 
Robes; Lady Lansdowne, First Lady of the Bedchamber; 
the other ladies of the bedchamber — Ladies Normanby, 
Tavistock, Charlemont, Lyttelton, Barham, and Portman ; 
the maids of honor — the Hon. Margaret Dillon, Harriet 
Pitt, Caroline Cox, Matilda Paget, and the Misses Murray, 
Cavendish, Spring Rice, and Lister; the women of the 
bedchamber — Ladies Forbes, Digby, Clive, Barrington, 
Copley, and Gardiner, and the Hon. Mesdames Campbell 
and Brand. Then came the Gold Stick of the Life Guards, 
Field-Marshal Combermere ; Master of the Horse the Earl 
of Albemarle, Captain-General of the Royal Archer Guard 
of Scotland, Captains of the Yeomen of the Guard, gentle- 
men-at-arms, lords-in-waiting, and a number of others. 

The sight in the Abbey was brilliant in the extreme. Gal- 
leries had been erected in the aisles, and above ten thou- 
sand of the greatest and most famous people in the land 
were present. The array of fine dresses and of jewels is 
said to have been dazzling in the extreme. The Austrian 
minister seems to have surpassed every one else in mag- 
nificence, and was literally covered with jewels down to 
the heels of his boots. A lady who was present wrote that 
he looked " as though he had been snowed upon with pearls, 
and had also been caught out in a rain of diamonds, and 
had come in dripping!" 

As the Queen entered the Abbey, preceded by the officers 

77 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

of State bearing the regalia, the anthem, "I was glad when 
they said unto me. Let us go into the house of the Lord/' 
rang through the long arches, and echoed back from the 
distant roof, while the booming of cannon could be faintly 
heard from without. Next came the national anthem, 
and then a deep hush as the Queen knelt before the altar 
for a few moments in silent prayer. When she rose, the 
boys of Westminster School, acting upon ancient right, 
chanted "Victoria, Victoria, Vivat Victoria Regina," and 
then came the Recognition. This was a very striking 
ceremony. The Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury 
turned to the four quarters of the compass, and the prelate 
called out in each direction, " Sirs, I here present unto you 
Queen Victoria, the undoubted Queen of this realm ; where- 
fore, all you who are come this day to do your homage, are 
you willing to do the same?" To each of these challenges 
the people addressed made answer, "God save Queen Vic- 
toria!" 

After the Recognition, the Queen went with her attend- 
ants to the altar, and, kneeling upon the steps, offered a 
golden altar-cloth and an ingot of gold of a pound weight. 
Then followed the Litany and the first part of the commu- 
nion service, the sermon being preached by the Bishop of 
London, after which came the elaborate ceremonies of the 
coronation service. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury, addressing the Queen, 
asked, " Is your Majesty willing to take the oath?" to which 
she replied, "I am willing." 

"Will you solemnly promise and swear," asked the prel- 
ate, "to govern the people of this United Kingdom of 
Great Britain and Ireland, and the dominions thereto be- 
longing, according to the statutes in Parliament agreed 
on, and the respective laws and customs of the same?" 

" I solemnly promise so to do," answered the Queen. 

"Will you, to your power, cause law and justice, in 
mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?" 

"I will." 

"Will you, to the utmost of your power, maintain the 

78 




THE CORONATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA 
(From the picture by Sir George Hayter) 



^ 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the 
Protestant Reformed religion established by law? And 
will you maintain and preserve inviolable the settlement 
of the United Church of England and Ireland, and the 
doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as 
by law established within England and Ireland, and the 
territories thereunto belonging? And will you preserve 
unto the bishops and clergy of England and Ireland, and 
to the churches there committed to their charge, all such 
rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to 
them or any of them?" 

The Queen replied, "All this I promise to do"; after 
which she went to the altar, and laying her right hand 
upon the book of the Gospels, said, " The things which I 
have heretofore promised, I will perform and keep. So 
help me, God." Then kissing the book, she signed the 
oath, and knelt in prayer while the choir sang the hymn, 
"Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire." 

Next came the ceremony of the anointing. The Queen 
took her seat in St. Edward's chair, and a canopy of cloth- 
of-gold was held over her while the Archbishop anointed 
her with oil on the head and hands, saying : 

"Be thou anointed with holy oil as kings, priests, and 
prophets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed 
king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so be 
thou anointed, blessed, and consecrated Queen over this 
people, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee to rule and 
govern. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen." 

The Archbishop then pronounced a blessing on the 
Queen; and the various insignia of royalty, the sceptres, 
orb, spurs, etc., having all their civil or ecclesiastical sig- 
nificance, were handed to her with appropriate exhortations. 
The words used by the prelate as he placed the sword of 
State in the monarch's hands were so significant that we 
quote them in full: "Receive this kingly sword, brought 
now from the altar of God, and delivered to you by the 
hands of us, the servants and bishops of God, though un- 

79 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

worthy. With this sword do justice, stop the growth of 
iniquity, protect the Holy Church of God, help and defend 
widows and orphans, restore the things that are gone to 
decay, maintain the things that are restored, punish and 
reform what is amiss, and confirm what is in good order; 
that doing these things you may be glorious in all virtue, 
and so faithfully serve our Lord Jesus Christ in this life 
that you may reign forever with Him in the life which is to 
come. Amen." 

The imperial mantle of cloth-of-gold was then placed 
upon the Queen's shoulders, and the ruby ring upon her 
finger. Unfortunately, the ring was rather small, and 
she suffered considerable discomfort in the process. 

Next came the most important act of all. The Arch- 
bishop, having first offered prayer, took the imperial crown 
from the altar and placed it on the Queen's head. Instant- 
ly all the great crowd of peers and peeresses assumed their 
glittering coronets, and the Abbey rang with the shouts of 
"God save the Queen!" The crowd outside caught up 
the shout, the church bells were set ringing, and a signal 
from Whitehall set the guns firing, not only in London 
but at all the chief ports and garrison towns. The crowds 
in the streets waved hats and handkerchiefs and cheered 
themselves hoarse. Then followed the presentation of a 
Bible to the Queen, and the singing of the Te Deum, after 
which she was conducted to a throne placed in the centre 
of the church. 

The act of homage was next performed by the lords 
spiritual kneeling around the Queen pronouncing the 
words of homage and kissing her Majesty's hand. The 
princes of the blood royal ascended the steps of the throne, 
took off their coronets, knelt, pronounced the words of 
homage, touched the crown upon her Majesty's head, 
and kissed her left cheek. The Duke of Norfolk and six- 
teen other dukes present did the same, with the exception 
of kissing the hand instead of the cheek. Their example 
was followed by twenty-one marquises, ninety-tliree earls, 
nineteen viscounts, and ninety-one barons. Lord Rolle, 

80 




THE QUEEN IN HER CORONATION ROBES 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

who was very infirm, on ascending the throne slipped, 
when the Queen rose, and extended her hand, expressing 
a hope that he was not hurt. The words used in doing 
homage were these: "I do become your Hege man of hfe 
and Hmb, and of earthly worship, and faith and truth I 
will bear unto you to live and die against all manner of 
folk, so help me God." The Duke of Wellington was 
much cheered when performing his homage, and when 
this part of the ceremony was concluded the members of 
the House of Commons gave nine hearty cheers, accom- 
panied with frequent cries of "God save Queen Victoria," 
which were repeated throughout the building by the con- 
gregation. The peers present were in number two hun- 
dred and forty-five; the peeresses one hundred and fifty- 
eight. 

The crown which had been made for George IV. weighed 
more than seven pounds, and was considered too heavy 
for the Queen's use. A new one was, therefore, made 
for the occasion. It weighed considerably less, and was 
formed of hoops of gold covered with precious stones over 
a cap of rich blue velvet, surmounted by a ball, in which 
were small diamonds, having on the top a Maltese cross 
of brilliants, a splendid sapphire in the centre, and a cluster 
of brilliants and fleur-de-lys and Maltese crosses around 
the centre of the crown. The large heart-shaped ruby 
worn by the Black Prince was in front of it, a large oblong 
sapphire below it, and clusters of dropped pearls, with 
emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and other gems in a circlet. 

During the homage the Earl of Surrey, Lord Treas- 
urer of the Household, threw to the occupants of the choir 
and the lower galleries the coronation medals, which were 
scrambled for with great eagerness. The Queen was di- 
vested of the symbols of sovereignty and received the holy 
sacrament, after which, again resuming her crown and 
holding the sceptre, she took her seat. After the blessing 
had been pronounced the service was concluded by the 
singing of the "Hallelujah Chorus." 

The sovereign, still wearing the crown and holding the 

8i 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

sceptre and the orb, now rose and went to the west door, 
where she mounted a state carriage in which she could 
well be seen by the people. Among these was one who 
wrote: "When she returned, looking pale and tremulous, 
crowned and holding her sceptre in a manner and attitude 
which said, ' I have it, and none shall wrest it from me ' ; 
even Carlyle, who was standing near me, uttered, with 
emotion, a blessing on her head." 

The late Duchess of Cleveland, who, as Lady Wilhelmina 
Stanhope, was one of the train-bearers, contributed the 
following recollections ; 

"The Queen looked very well, and was perfectly com- 
posed. She wore a circlet of splendid diamonds, and was 
dressed in gold tissue, over which was fastened a crimson 
velvet mantle, bordered with gold lace, and lined with er- 
mine, with a long ermine cape, which very ponderous ap- 
pendage we were to support. 

"As train-bearers we stood according to our rank, as 
follows : Lady Caroline Lennox and Lady Adelaide Paget ; 
Lady Mary Talbot and Lady Fanny Cowper; Lady Anne 
Fitzwilliam and myself; Lady Louisa Jenkinson, and 
last, not least. Lady Mary Grimston. 

"We were all dressed alike, in white and silver. The 
effect was not, I think, brilliant enough in so dazzling an 
assembly, and our little trains were serious annoyances, 
for it was impossible to avoid treading upon them. We 
ought never to have had them ; and there certainly should 
have been some previous rehearsing, for we carried the 
Queen's train very jerkily and badly, never keeping step 
properly; and it must have been very difficult for her 
to walk, as she did, evenly and steadily, and with much 
grace and dignity, the whole length of the Abbey. 

"The Abbey itself was a beautiful coup d'oeil, as we 
marched up amid thunders of applause and handker- 
chiefs and scarves waving everywhere. The Queen ac- 
knowledged her reception very graciously. 

"I think her heart fluttered a little as we reached the 
throne; at least, the color mounted to her cheeks, brow, 

d>2 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

and even neck, and her breath came quickly. However, 
the slight emotion she showed was very transient, and 
she stood perfectly motionless while the Archbishop, in 
an almost inaudible voice, proclaimed her our undoubted 
sovereign and liege lady. After this she took the oaths, 
the Litany and communion service were read, and the 
Bishop of London gave us a very good sermon, though 
we, who were standing the whole time, thought it some- 
what of the longest. 

"The ceremonies that followed were minute and rather 
tedious. Before the anointing we accompanied the Queen 
into St. Edward's Chapel — as unlike a chapel to all appear- 
ances as possible — where she was robed in a sort of white 
muslin wrapper, trimmed with very fine Brussels lace, and 
the dalmatic, a robe of cloth-of-gold, worked with the rose, 
shamrock, and thistle in colors, and lined with crimson. 
The diamond circlet was taken off, and the mantle (to our 
great relief), and she reappeared in the Abbey bareheaded, 
and simply wearing the dalmatic. 

" As she knelt before the altar, with clasped hands and 
bowed head, with her loose robe of gold brocade hanging 
from her shoulders, she looked exactly like the representa- 
tion, in some old picture, of a fair young devotee in the 
costume of the Middle Ages. 

"She was assisted into St. Edward's chair by the old 
Archbishop, and there solemnly crowned and anointed 
Queen. The burst of applause in the Abbey when the 
crown was placed on her head, and the sight of all the 
peers and peeresses crowning themselves at the same mo- 
ment, was really most impressive, and in the midst of the 
cheering Handel's magnificent anthem, ' The Queen shall 
rejoice!' thundered in. 

"After this the Queen was enthroned, and we took up 
our station on the steps of the throne during the homage, 
and amused ourselves with watching Lord Surrey, the 
Treasurer of the Household, dispensing medals in the 
midst of a most desperate scramble, and nearly torn to 
pieces in the universal excitement. The pages were par- 

83 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

ticularly active, and some of them collected ten or twelve 
medals apiece. The train-bearers wrung out one each 
from Lord Surrey, whose temper was entirely gone, and 
who looked as red and voluble as a turkey-cock. I had 
another given to me by one of the pages. 

"I saw little of the homage. The Duke of Wellington 
was prodigiously cheered. Lord Rolle fell down, and was 
carried away by two strong peers; and a great deal more 
of the same sort may have happened, but I saw none of it. 
I merely had the advantage of seeing them put on their 
coronets again after the ceremony was over. Lord Wilton 
fitting on his being in itself a study. 

"After the homage we returned with the Queen to the 
chapel, where her mantle — now a purple one — was fast- 
ened on, and we waited for three-quarters of an hour for 
the procession to form in the same manner as on entering 
the Abbey. 

"The Queen complained of a headache, from having her 
crown very unceremoniously knocked by most of the peers 
— one actually clutched hold of it; but she said she had 
guarded herself from any accident or misadventure by 
having it made to fit her head tightly. She had, besides, 
to bear the heavy orb and sceptre across the Abbey; but 
when she reached the robing -room she disembarrassed 
herself of them, unclasped her mantle, took off her crown, 
and, having got rid of all her royalty, sat down on the 
sofa and amused herself. We, too, were allowed to sit 
down for the first time." 

But her day of fatigue was not yet over, for she had to 
entertain one hundred persons at dinner in the palace. 
The Duke of Wellington had a great ball at Apsley House, 
two thousand persons having been invited. The cabinet 
ministers gave State dinners. Illuminations, fireworks, 
a fair in Hyde Park, and free admission to the theatres 
were provided for the gratification of her Majesty's sub- 
jects in London. There was no accident of any impor- 
tance, except in one case where a balloon made a bad de- 
scent. The House of Commons voted £70,000 on account 

84 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

of the coronation, a very small sum when compared with 
the large amounts given for similar ceremonies abroad. 
A number of peers were created or raised a step in the 
peerage, among these being the father of General Lord 
Methuen ; twenty-nine baronets, among them Lytton Bul- 
wer and William Herschell. 

Referring to the period immediately following, Greville 
wrote : " The life which the Queen leads at Windsor is as 
follows: She gets up soon after eight o'clock, breakfasts 
in her own room, and is employed the whole morning in 
transacting business. She reads all the despatches, and 
has everything of interest and importance in every depart- 
ment laid before her. At eleven or twelve, Melbourne 
comes to her and stays an hour or less, according to the 
business he may have to transact. At two she rides with 
a large suite, and she likes to have it numerous. Mel- 
bourne always rides on her left hand, and the equerry in 
waiting generally on her right. After riding she amuses 
herself for the rest of the afternoon with music and sing- 
ing, playing, romping with children, if there are any in 
the castle — and she is so fond of them that she generally 
contrives to have some there — or in any other way she 
fancies. The hour of dinner is nominally half-past seven 
o'clock, soon after which time the guests assemble. But 
she seldom appears till near eight o'clock, when the guests 
are all assembled. The Queen comes in, preceded by 
the gentlemen of her household, and followed by the Duch- 
ess of Kent and all her ladies. She remains at table 
the usual time, but does not suffer the men to sit long after 
her. 

" We were summoned to coffee in less than a quarter of 
an hour. In the drawing-room she never sits down till 
the men make their appearance. Coffee is then served to 
them in the adjoining room, and then they go into the draw- 
ing-room, where she goes round and says a few words to 
each. When this little ceremony is over, the Duchess of 
Kent's whist-table is arranged. At about half-past eleven 
her Majesty goes to bed. She orders and regulates every 

85 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

detail herself; she knows where everybody is lodged in 
the castle, settles about the riding or driving, and enters 
into every particular with minute attention." 

I may say that the traits of character here mentioned 
continued to be shown to the last. She always remem- 
bered the day fixed for the coming and the departure of 
every guest, and for every one of those of the household 
who came on duty or whose waiting was ended and their 
term over. Till the last, the regularity of the division of 
her day, and the keeping to an appointed hour for each 
kind of business, were persevered in, and the method so 
mastered and practised enabled her to get through an 
amount of work with a degree of calm and an entire ab- 
sence of hurry and fuss which gave a wholesome lesson 
to many a younger head with far less to do. She had also, 
even in her youthful years, a remarkable dislike to any 
precipitate action. She knew that it was best to pause 
for a time and to consider before taking action, for in civil 
life and in measures of state it is exceedingly rare to have 
to decide any matter of importance on the spur of the mo- 
ment. She would advise, if one were moved to write hasti- 
ly upon any passionate impulse, that it was best not to 
send the letter until the following morning, that time might 
mingle with resolution to produce a greater justness of ex- 
pression, and a more temperate view of the matter in hand. 

Here we must ask what were the men like who had the 
right, during the opening years of her reign, to advise her? 
First in place of responsibility was the Prime Minister, 
Lord Melbourne. A jovial, clever, loud-talking squire, 
with fine features and strong language, convejdng good- 
natured expression of an easy-going and capable mind, 
he had risen to be Prime Minister, apparently because he 
did not care to fill the place. He had become more careless 
with age, and a happy indolence led him rather to con- 
sult his comfort in taking the broadest road, than to listen 
to his vigorous understanding hinting at the narrow path 
of difficulty. "Can't you leave it alone?" was supposed 
to express his frame of mind whenever a trouble presented 

86 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

itself to be fought by his more combative colleagues. But 
he had great loyalty of nature, and a capacity which made 
his judgment sure. The Queen liked him, and he was 
as devoted as a father to her. Nothing could exceed the 
courtesy and kindliness of his manner towards her. It 
sprang from a real affection and the goodness of a true 
and manly heart. No wonder that she appreciated his 
loyalty and listened to his advice. A good horseman, 
he used to accompany her when she rode with her ladies 
and members of her Court at Windsor, and, though almost 
old enough to be her grandfather, was so young in mind 
that he never wearied her. 

Those who were personally interested in the young 
Queen complain that she was overworked and teased with 
needless details. "They send all manner of things in 
the various official boxes for signature, and she, not know- 
ing yet what is substance and what is form, reads all. It 
is suspected that this is done to give her disgust of her 
business. I do not suspect any such deep design, but cer- 
tainly the proper way would be that once or twice a week 
one of the secretaries of state should attend with all the 
papers that require her signature and explain what is im- 
portant and what not. Lord Melbourne sees her every day 
for a couple of hours, and his situation is certainly the most 
dictatorial, the most despotic, that the world has ever seen. 
Wolsey and Walpole were in strait waistcoats compared 
with him. His temper and feelings lead him to no great 
abuse of this enormous influence," says Mr. Croker, "nor 
would his political position out of the palace permit him to 
do anything essentially wrong in it. But as between him 
and the sovereign he is a perfect maire du palais." 

Then there was a great man with whom all took counsel, 
and who in later days let himself serve the Queen as Prime 
Minister, rather than desired the post. He is the central 
figure in the group of men of influence of his time. This 
was " the Duke " — Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington. 
No subject since Marlborough had so great a reputation as 
a commander. As a statesman he held a far higher place, 

87 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

for men knew that they could place an absolute trust in 
him, and this could hardly have been said of John Church- 
ill. Of spare frame and middle height, with eagle nose and 
blue eyes, his hair was already white, but his eyebrows 
were still dark and very thick. He shaved all his face 
but a short whisker. His face and figure were the best 
known in London. "There goes the Duke," men w^ould 
say, and look after him, feeling that it was to him Britain 
owed her freedom from foreign domination and the grand 
place won among European peoples. "He never lost an 
English gun," was often repeated as the great soldier's 
campaigns were mentioned. Soon after the new reign 
had begun one of Wellington's greatest opponents in the 
field. Marshal Soult, visited England, and was most cor- 
dially received. Soult was one of the bravest men, yet 
when he trusted himself for the first time to one of the new 
railway trains, it is recorded that he frankly confessed his 
fear, and put his head out of the carriage window and 
roared to the deaf engine-driver ahead that he must stop! 
He was a man of frank and simple nature, and was de- 
lighted with the kindly feeling shown to him in England. 

Our portrait gallery of the famous men of the opening 
of the reign must now show a man, less indeed than the 
great captain of his age, but yet one so full of confidence 
in himself that it was said of him that he would, at a mo- 
ment's notice, take command of the Channel fleet. He 
was not a sailor, nor a soldier, but the younger son of a 
Whig family which had taken to politics since the days of 
the Commonwealth. This was "Little Johnny" — Lord 
John Russell. A tiny man, wearing only the little whisk- 
er of the time, with finely formed, detennined mouth, a 
nose with rather too much of an enlargement at the end, 
arching eyebrows, and good blue eyes. He spoke in a de- 
liberate and somewhat nasal voice, and, like the feather- 
weight he was, delighted in being, if possible, always 
abreast, if not a little ahead, of any movement he saw in 
the political world. He was the leader of the Whigs; 
and they prided themselves on taking Time by the fore- 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

lock, and managing him as a man may lead a bull — with 
a ring passed through the bull's nose. There is no doubt 
that they swayed the fortunes of the State for the period, 
when they held a middle position between the extreme 
Radicals and the "High Tories." They were able to 
shape the form in which changes took place. Their fault 
in the eyes of their opponents was that they were too ex- 
clusive in the distribution of office. It was alleged that 
few had a chance of preferment unless they belonged to 
one of the families who, connected by marriage with each 
other, presumed on an almost hereditary right to be of the 
select governing body. Many of the heads of these fam- 
ilies were able to influence elections to such a degree that 
they could each of them be sure of sending several nomi- 
nees to Parliament. Happily this state of things no longer 
exists, at least not in England. Lord John Russell, when 
he stood at the table of the House, or rose from the front Op- 
position bench to make a speech, was so small of stature 
that little of him was seen above the brass-bound boxes 
on the table, but he stood as far back from this furniture 
as the narrow space would allow, and, folding his arms 
across his chest, spoke with a resolution and confident 
slowness of speech which were the sign that he knew there 
was strength in his opinions, supported as they were by 
the class that gave weight to anything coming from the 
carefully reforming house of Russell. 

In one of those who in future was to become also a first 
minister of the crown, Lord John Russell's manner and 
confidence produced a lifelong feeling of irritation. Dis- 
raeli could not abide him. To the last days of Disraeli's 
life, when he loved rather to speak of books and matters 
tmconnected with politics, this dislike would occasionally 
break through the more amiable conversation with which 
he entertained his guests. Lord John was to Disraeli 
the personification of all that is politically evil. Much as 
the future Tory chief enjoyed the "sustained splendor of 
the stately lives" of the nobles of this country, he could 
not tolerate that the assurance their manner exhibited 

89 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

should be worn by their younger brothers or sons, especial- 
ly when they advocated changes which, while keeping 
themselves in power and the Tories out of office, were an- 
tagonistic to the doctrines of the Conservatives — as the 
party which Disraeli had joined began to be styled. Some 
cherished antipathy is not inconsistent with great talents 
and knowledge of the world. Disraeli's antipathy was 
to Whiggism, and this dislike centred on the head of the 
confident "Johnny." 

With the exception of Lord Melbourne, Lord John was 
the minister of whom the Queen had seen the most, and 
she liked him and his family. The Bedfords were the 
head of a race who, by their historical traditions, formed 
the proper stock from which prime ministers might be 
taken, and the little man, whose persistent and courageous 
manner gave him for many years, sometimes in conjunc- 
tion with Lord Palmerston and sometimes as an adversary, 
the opportunity of conference with the monarch, was an 
agreeable talker. He was a man of the world, whose com- 
pany at Windsor and London was never unwelcome. With 
plenty of confidence, and with quite sufficient of the quality 
of patrician pride. Lord John knew well how to study the 
Queen's wishes, and at the same time to be firm in the ut- 
terance of his own opinions. None more courteous in 
manner, he was correct in believing that by speaking out 
his mind he won the appreciation of the Court, and both 
the Queen and Prince Albert had a high opinion of him. 
The Queen gave him as his residence a charming villa, 
possessing a little domain full of magnificent oaks and 
other timber. The windows looked down from the high 
plateau of Richmond Park on a view almost unrivalled, 
where the Thames in shining curves flows through rich 
meadows studded with fine timber, past the banks once 
adorned with the palaces of Sheen and Nonsuch, and still 
bedecked with many an ancestral home. When he died she 
allowed his widow to live on at that charming spot, which 
had been the favorite haunt of the later Tudor monarchs 
of England. He would speak of the difference between 

90 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

those days and our own whenever he took his guests to a 
Httle mound on the brink of the wooded cliff overlooking 
the Thames on one side, and on the other giving a view 
over Richmond Park towards London. On a clear day 
the turrets of the Tower of London could be distinguished 
from this place, and he was wont to recount the legend 
that the eighth Henry had waited to discern in the distance 
a signal which told him that Anne Boleyn's head had 
rolled on the scaffold. At Pembroke Lodge, in his later 
years. Lord John's small but vigorous figure could be seen 
taking exercise, not only with his legs, but also with his 
lungs, for as he sauntered over many of the well-kept walks 
amid bordering clumps of rhododendron, or under the old 
oaks, he would often recite to himself some passage in a 
speech which he was preparing for a coming debate in the 
House. In his more advanced age he was still fond of re- 
citing aloud to his guests, not portions of his speeches, 
but pages of Italian or English poetry, and after tea or 
lunch he would take them out to a pretty rose-surrounded 
lawn, and set them to play bowls, at which game he was a 
master. 

Now and then the Queen used to drive down to visit him 
at the place she had given him, and he would be fond of 
quoting, with pride and affection, what she had said. He 
was yet apt to leaven with a little hint of criticism, fitting 
the robust spirit of the descendant of men who in former 
centuries were the counsellors of the crown, the ever gen- 
uine love he had for the occupant of the tlirone. The privi- 
leges and limitations of the power of the crown had been 
partly the result of the actions of his own ancestors. He 
would never encourage any increase in the constitutional 
powers of the Queen, and would speak his mind freely 
enough at all times, in her presence or when he was alone 
with his friends. One day, when one of the young princes 
had received some Httle present, and had, in Lord John's 
opinion, not been sufficiently grateful, he said to him, 
"'Thanks' is a little word, and costs nothing." At an- 
other time, when mentioning the name of one who was re- 

91 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

ported to have been in special favor, he wrote : " So-and-so 
has been made much of, and I fear he will become unbear- 
able." There was a great deal of the spirit of democracy 
in the little man, and he always desired to be abreast of 
his time, perhaps quite as much to control the pace of the 
advance-guard as for any reason for desiring its more 
rapid progress. 

In his view the office of the crown should not be allowed 
to aggrandize itself, even if others magnify it to the detri- 
ment of the liberty of the people. So, also, it was desirable 
that its wearer and any of her family should, in the inter- 
ests of the social commonweal, show an equal politeness 
and courtesy, to be demanded from the highest to the low- 
est. 

A Conservative of an interesting type was Sir Robert 
Peel. It was always said that he did not find favor per- 
sonally with liis young sovereign. But she liked his 
rectitude of conduct, and greatly valued his abilities. 
In manner, however, he was not fortunate : of a good pres- 
ence and striking features, he was reserved, and this is too 
often mistaken for haughtiness. Some called him pom- 
pous ; others said they did not know what to make of him. 
Excellent as a financier, the abilities that gave him judg- 
ment in the arrangement of national income and expendi- 
ture did not fail him, as is too often the case with mere 
calculators, in the wider fields of political contest. In 
one instance he changed an opinion long held on the ques- 
tion of taxation of foreign corn. He acknowledged him- 
self converted to a doctrine which the majority of his part37' 
believed to be ruin for the agriculturist. Yet, great as 
was the abuse poured upon him for this recantation of a 
belief which had been held until the country was convulsed 
with the conflict it bred, his motives were not impugned. 
What he said was recognized as the honest belief of a man 
of integrity, prepared rather to sacrifice his position in his 
party than to continue to lead it on lines of which his ma- 
turer judgment disapproved. The well-known picture of 
him standing arm-in-arm with the Duke of Wellington 

92 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

marks the friendship that existed between the two men. 
The one, bred in the city, was the type of the civihan, as 
the Duke was the best of the mihtary type of which the 
early Victorian years could boast. 

Peel and Melbourne were the leaders of parties, and 
men looked with some apprehension to public affairs. To 
be sure, England seemed to be free from the violent revo- 
lutionists who nine years after brought about an almost 
universal upheaval upon the Continent. But there was 
enough to produce disquiet. The Duke of Wellington, in 
1835, wrote: "I am not surprised that Sir Robert Peel 
should be alarmed. All that I hope for is that the change 
in the position of the country may be gradual, that it may 
be effected without civil war, and may occasion as little 
destruction of individual interests and property as possible. 
We may all by degrees take our respective station in the 
new order of things, and go on till future changes take 
place ad infinitum. All that will result from such a state 
of things will be shame and disgrace to the public men of 
the day, and I confess that I, for one, look back with no 
satisfaction to the events from the year 1830 to the present 
time. It is true that I would have improved them if I could, 
but I am not certain that the course which I took was the 
right one." 

Lord Stanley, afterwards Lord Derby, was already re- 
markable for force in debate. Impetuous and eager, he 
remained almost boyish in his boisterous energy, even 
when Prime Minister. "The Rupert of Debate," as Lord 
Lytton called him, was an ideal Tory noble, doing his duty 
as a country gentleman, whether in giving a ball or a shoot- 
ing-party, or in Quarter Sessions, with the same keenness 
as he showed during a night's hot discussion in the House. 
It is a proof of the opinion his friends held as to his unself- 
ishness that at a time when Peel was about to go out of 
office it was gravely suggested that Stanley might consent 
to join the dying Cabinet merely in order to show that it 
was respected by him, and not with any view of arresting 
its dying agonies. He was only asked to share them. 

9Z 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

And who else was there of marked influence on the poh- 
tics of the day? We will only look for a moment at one 
man. This was O'Connell, a burlj^ figure, with a tre- 
mendous and yet agreeable voice. "The Liberator/' as 
his Irish followers called him, the champion of Irish inde- 
pendence, and 3^et at that time advocating what none since 
who wished for popularity in that country have called for, 
namely, emigration. The troubles that came afterwards 
from the neglect of that advice were evident. His power 
over a meeting was most remarkable. Great as has been 
the eloquence of many from Erin, O'Connell's was by far 
the most remarkable. It was he who 

" Taught so well 
Rebellion's art is never to rebel." 

He has left little enduring mark in the results of his la- 
bors, but the impression made by him on those who heard 
him was deep. Mr. Gladstone, for instance, was never 
tired of reciting the impression made upon him by the ora- 
tory of the famous agitator. Unlike many of those who 
aspired to lead Irish "aspirations," he was a thorough 
Irishman in blood, and his name is one of those borne by 
the most illustrious of the ancient heroes, who is still re- 
membered in many place-names, not only in his own 
land, but also in that to which the Irish colonists went, 
namely, the west coast of Scotland, where the Falls of 
Connel, near Oban, and Inchconnel Castle, in Lochawe, 
speak of the fame of his namesake who lived twelve cen- 
turies before. 

And now, if these were the chief features of the men, 
who were the most beautiful or most famous women? First, 
Harriet Duchess of Sutherland must be named. She was 
the Queen's greatest friend, not only during the first years, 
but on until the Duchess's life closed in the "sixties." A 
daughter of Lord Carlisle, she married the Duke, who was 
a good deal her senior, and who had inherited immense 
estates in Sutherland and in Staffordsliire. The Duchess 
had excellent taste, and wherever she went took notes of 

94 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

beautiful buildings and gardens abroad. The results were 
seen at Dunrobin and at Trentham, where the beautiful 
site was worthily used for the enlargement in the one case 
of an old Georgian brick house, and in the other of an old 
Scots castle, into lovely creations, showing the best taste 
at a time by no means too rich in that respect. She came 
of a Whig family, and married into another, and was in 
many respects in her own person an example to prove the 
reason of the influence which made Disraeli angry. Hers 
was a mind that lent itself to the encouragement of revo- 
lution abroad and of changes at home which Toryism be- 
lieved would sweep away the position of the persons hold- 
ing power. As it was by such position that influence ap- 
peared to be gained, the ultra-Conservative heart was 
seared at once with anger and envy. Her husband, one 
of the most excellent of men, was so deaf that he withdrew 
himself early from affairs, and attended only to the man- 
agement of his estates; but he was very liberal in his 
political views, uniting with these a strong opinion on 
the dignity of his rank, and was very indignant when it 
was at one time proposed to give the ducal dignity less 
honor in precedence than it obtained, partly thanks to his 
action and that of his friends. But the eyes of society 
centred on his beautiful and gracious wife, who made her 
assemblies the most sought after in London. The Duke 
of York had squandered so much money that he was forced 
to sell his house when it was in an unfinished condition. 
The lease was one from the crown. The Duke of Suther- 
land bought it, and added a story to the building, re-nam- 
ing it Stafford House. He decorated it beautifully and 
placed in its gallery a fine collection of pictures, these con- 
sisting of about one-half of those which had belonged to 
his father. 

His second brother. Lord Francis, had become the heir 
to the Duke of Bridgewater's property, and half of the old 
Stafford collection went to him. Francis employed Barry 
to build a house which should be as fine as was Stafford 
House, and should have the advantage of being built, not 

95 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

on a crown lease, but on a freehold. The result was Bridge- 
water House, with its fine gallery of pictures. The brothers 
were ardently attached to each other, and the Duchess was 
very fond of Francis, but it was always a little trial to her 
that Stafford House was not freehold. She tried to per- 
suade Lord Melbourne to advise that the crown should 
sell her the freehold, but Lord Melbourne for once was ob- 
durate to a fair lady's entreaties, and said that he thought 
his duty was to advise the crown to keep what it possessed. 
This did not prevent the Duchess from lavishing money 
on the structure. She was specially awake to the wrongs 
of the poor and the suffering. Whether it was the state of 
the prisoner, of paupers in poor-houses, of miners in the 
coal-pits, or the grievances of Poles under the Russian 
government, or Italians at Naples, or the blacks in slavery 
in America, her house was always open to meetings to ad- 
vocate their cause. This made many in high Tory so- 
ciety laugh at what they called, after the French manner^ 
her "engouements," or enthusiasms. But they were all 
glad to attend the festivals she gave, and among those 
who most appreciated her in after-years was Prince Albert. 
The young Queen could have no better friend, and the 
Duchess was devoted to her sovereign. 

It is difficult to speak of the Duchess without thinking 
of another most beautiful woman who had cause to be most 
grateful to her for the part she took in showing friendship 
when trouble came. This was Mrs. Norton, one of the 
three brilliant sisters of the Sheridan family, one of whom 
was mother to Lord Dufferin and Ava, and the other be- 
came Duchess of Somerset. Mrs. Norton was a friend of 
Lord Melbourne's, and political enmity bred accusations 
against him and her, which led to a trial. Society dis- 
played itself in no kindly form to the lady. It was char- 
acteristic of the courage and goodness of the Duchess that 
she took the earliest and most public opportunity of show- 
ing how baseless and base she considered the gossip to be, 
and few could successfully question a social judgment 
coming from one who, as Mrs. Norton in one of her eloquent 

96 



ACCESSION AND CORONATION 

poems said, " went like a swan through the waters of Hie," 
its dross seeking in vain to cHng to her snowHke purity. 

Lady Douro, wife of the Duke of WelHngton's son, was 
very much admired. Lady Radnor and Lady Joscelyn's 
faces also look upon us from the " late thirties " in the can- 
vases of Swinton and Winterhalter, and from the "keep- 
sake" books which were then much in fashion. These 
books were beautifully illustrated with copperplate and 
steel engravings, and were very popular among those who 
could afford to buy them. 

The magazines were scarce, and had no engravings. 
Blackwood remains as unchanged as the Chinese Empire, 
and it had no peers and few to rival it. The Gentle- 
inan's Magazine and Eraser's were popular. The Illus- 
trated London News began its career in 184 1. It was held 
to be a marvel of "enterprise." Its engravings were, as a 
rule, small in size, but there was at once much honesty in 
the attempt to give actual sketches of the scenes described. 
Daguerre's invention, the precursor of photography, could 
give it no assistance. Much labor was expended on giving 
effects to the stage, in opera and drama, and dancers like 
Taglioni had more fame than has fallen to the lot of their 
successors, both in popular portraiture and in social recog- 
nition. 

Many of the celebrated ladies who formed the society of 
the Court were painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence, but 
Hoppner had been the favorite painter. One of the best 
of Hoppner's portraits is that of Lady Charlotte Campbell 
as Aurora, treading on clouds suffused with morning rays. 



CHAPTER III 

BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE OF THE QUEEN 

In 1837 a dispute began on a domestic matter affecting 
the Queen which no one would expect to have led to a 
change of ministry. Sir R. Peel, however, later, refused 
office because, when he had formed a cabinet, he could 
not also have his way in nominating the ladies who should 
hold a place at Court. He "took himself very seriously," 
as was said, and what others considered a trifling matter 
he regarded as very important. 

He and his friends complained that some of the ladies 
selected by Lord Melbourne to compose her Majesty's 
household had a marked political bias. The men holding 
household appointments, they said, should be "of the 
same political color as the ministry, and vote with the gov- 
ernment. But there should be a marked difference be- 
tween those engaged in political conflict and the more 
moderate and measured deportment desirable in those 
who form the private society of the sovereign, who, it must 
never be forgotten, is not the sovereign of one party, but 
of all, who expects to see at her Court the various shades 
of political opinion showing a common respect for the sta- 
tion, and affection for the person, of the monarch. But 
this intercourse and interchange of courtesy and duty can 
never be as free and impartial as it ought to be if the con- 
stant attendants on the Court are to be active partisans. 
We know to what unhappy scenes a departure from this 
understanding gave rise in former reigns, and we trust 
they may not be repeated ; but we must say that appoint- 
ments of wives and daughters of cabinet ministers to 
household offices are highly objectionable. The first in 

98 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

rank of one of those attendants is the daughter of one and 
the sister of another cabinet minister. The second is the 
wife of the Lord President of the Council, A third and 
fourth, and we beHeve half a dozen more, are daughters of 
the Lord Privy Seal, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and 
their political colleagues. It is impossible to make the 
slightest objection to the personal character of any one of 
these ladies, but we do say that the accumulation of po- 
litical and household offices in the same family is liable 
to serious inconveniences. It is neither constitutional 
in principle nor becoming in practice that the sovereign 
should be enclosed within the circumvallation of any par- 
ticular set, however respectable — that in the hours of busi- 
ness or amusement, in public and in private, she should 
see only the repetition of the same family faces, and hear 
no sound but the modulations of the same family voices; 
and that the private comfort of the Queen's interior life 
should be, as it inevitably must, additionally exposed to 
the fluctuations of political change, or, what is still worse, 
that it should be either affected or prevented by political 
favor or personal attachments." 

It was, on the other hand, asserted that the sovereign 
should not be reduced to such a state of unconstitutional 
dilemma as not to be able to change the ministry without 
also changing the Mistress of the Robes, or the maids of 
honor ; or, vice versa, of changing these ladies without also 
changing her ministry. 

Peel himself wrote that household offices held by ladies 
ought not to be exempt from the control of the minister 
when he forms a government : " If exempt from that 
control on a change of government, why not subse- 
quently? Surely the principle equally extends to a claim 
on the part of the sovereign to fill up certain house- 
hold offices without reference to the opinion or advice 
of her minister. Is it possible to maintain such a posi- 
tion consistently with the first maxim of the British Con- 
stitution, that the sovereign can do no wrong ; that 
she is presumed in every public act to be guided by 
L.ofC. 99 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

the advice of a minister whom Parhament can make re- 
sponsible? 

" Is not every appointment constituted by the Civil List 
Act, paid by the Civil List Act, a public act? Could it be 
tolerated that a Queen might appoint a Mistress of the 
Robes, without reference to her minister, whom her min- 
ister might know to be perfectly unfit to be about the person 
of the Queen? Take other times and other sovereigns, 
and other characters, and test your opinion by a reference 
to them. 

" What, in the constitutional point of view, has a coun- 
try to do with the youth of the sovereign, or with the sex 
of the sovereign? No more than with her nature or her 
beauty! A great public principle is under consideration. 

"Those pay a compliment to the Queen who consider 
her the sovereign, with plenary rights and authoritj^ but 
subject to the principles and maxims of the Constitution. 
It is a real insult to the Queen, and to the sovereign au- 
thority, to mix with constitutional arguments any appeals 
to the special circumstances of j^outh and sex." 

Peel certainly took the ladies very seriously! He prob- 
ably thought that the Queen would have few strong opin- 
ions of her own, and would not be able to keep her own 
balance of judgment if clever and designing women were 
able to effect a permanent lodgment in her household. 
It seems odd that such fears should have carried Peel so 
far. The sensible and practical result of the matter then 
so hotly debated has been that the Mistress of the Robes, 
who presides over the ladies of the household, is changed 
with each administration, but that the others are not, their 
offices not being regarded as so political as are several of 
the places held by men. Wives and nearest relatives of 
ministers are, however, no longer chosen. 

In 1839 the Queen became engaged to Prince Albert. 
We have already given some account of the first visit of 
the Prince and his brother to Kensington Palace in 1836, 
when a decidedly favorable impression was produced in 
the mind of the Princess Victoria. An occasional cor- 

100 




PRINCE ALBERT AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-FOUR 
(From a miniature by Robert Thorburn) 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

respondence was kept up, and on the accession of the Queen 
Prince Albert was one of the first to write and congratulate 
her. 

The cares of state and the numerous distractions at- 
tendant upon exalted position stood in the way of closer 
acquaintance until 1839, when King Leopold arranged 
a second visit of the Coburg princes to their English cousin. 

The best account of this visit and of what resulted from 
it will be found in the letters and diaries which the Queen 
allowed to be made public on the subject of her betrothal. 
King Leopold wrote a kindly letter of introduction for the 
Coburg princes to take to England : 

" Laeken, October 8, 1839. 

"My dearest Victoria, 

"Your cousins will be themselves the bearers of these 
lines. I recommend them to your bienveillance. They 
are good and honest creatures, deserving your kindness, 
and not pedantic, but really sensible and trust worth J^ 

" I have told them that your great wish is that they should 
be quite unbefangen [that is, not on ceremony] with you. 

"I am sure that if you have anything to recommend 
to them they will be most happy to learn it from you. 
"My dear Victoria, 

" Your most devoted uncle, 

"Leopold R." 

Upon their arrival at Windsor the Queen wrote: "At 
half-past seven I went to the top of the staircase to receive 
my two dear cousins, Ernest and Albert, whom I found 
grown, changed, and embellished. It was with some emo- 
tion that I beheld Albert, who is beautiful. 

" I took them both to mamma. Their clothes not having 
arrived, they could not appear at dinner. There were 
staying in the castle at that time Lord Clanricarde, Lord 
and Lady Granville, Baron Brunnow, Lord Normanby, 
and the Hon. William Temple. In waiting were Lady 
Sandwich, Miss Paget, and Miss Cocks." 

After dinner the princes came in, in spite of their morn- 

lOI 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

ing dresses. Lord Melbourne said at once to the Queen 
that he was struck with Prince Albert's likeness to her. 

The Queen at that time breakfasted in her own room 
(the princes coming to see her afterwards), and lunched 
with the Duchess of Kent and the princes at two. She 
rode with them, the Duchess of Kent, and the greater part 
of the ladies and gentlemen every afternoon. 

I may mention that these riding-parties in Windsor Park 
were of constant occurrence, the Queen sometimes wearing 
a hat, and sometimes one of those — as we now think — 
inelegant caps with a peak in front, and with an enlarge- 
ment above made flat at the top. By her side Melbourne 
often rode, with the ladies and gentlemen in a group be- 
hind. 

The love of riding remained long with the Queen, though 
the gay cavalcades which used to sweep through the glades 
of Windsor Forest were no more seen after the Queen's 
loss of the Prince, which sorrow took all joy from the re- 
mainder of her days. 

A large dinner took place every evening, and three times 
a week dancing after dinner. Her journal is full at this 
time of expressions of admiration for Prince Albert, and 
of the deep impression he had made upon her. 

On the 14th the Queen had it intimated to the Prince, 
through Baron Alvensleben (Master of the Horse to the 
Duke of Coburg, and an old and devoted servant of the 
family), that she wished to speak to him the next day. 
She also told Lord Melbourne on the same day that she had 
made up her mind ; at which he expressed much satisfaction, 
and said to her, as the Queen records at the time in her 
journal: "I think it will be very well received, for I hear 
that there is an anxiety now that it should be, and I am 
very glad of it;" adding, in quite a paternal tone, "You 
will be much more comfortable ; for a woman cannot stand 
alone for any time in whatever position she may be." 

"On Tuesday, October 15, the two princes went out 
hunting early," writes the Queen, "but came back about 
twelve. At half-past twelve I sent for Albert He came 

102 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

to the closet, where I was alone. After a few minutes I said 
to him that I thought he must be aware why I wished him 
to come, and that it would make me too happy if he would 
consent to what I wished (namely, to marry me). 

" There was no hesitation on his part, but the offer was 
received with the greatest demonstration of kindness and 
affection. He is perfection in every way — in beauty, in 
everything. I told him I was quite unworthy of him. He 
said he would be very happy to spend his life with me. 
How I will strive to make him feel as little as possible the 
great sacrifice he has made! I told him it was a great 
sacrifice on his part, which he would not allow. I then 
told him to fetch Ernest, which he did, who congratulated 
us both, and seemed very happy. He told me how perfect 
his brother was. " 

She wrote to King Leopold on October 15, 1839 : 

" I love him more than I can say, and shall do everything 
in my power to render this sacrifice as small as I can. He 
seems to have great tact — a very necessary thing in his 
position. These last few days have passed like a dream 
to me, and I am so much bewildered by it all that I hardly 
know how to write. But I do feel very happy. It is ab- 
solutely necessary that this determination of mine should 
be known to no one but yourself and to Uncle Ernest until 
after the meeting of Parliament, as it would be considered 
otherwise neglectful on my part not to have assembled 
Parliament at once to inform them of it. 

"Lord Melbourne has acted in this business, as he has 
always done towards me, with the greatest kindness and 
affection. We also think it better, and Albert quite ap- 
proves of it, that we should be married very soon after 
Parliament meets, about the beginning of February ; and, 
indeed, loving Albert as I do, I cannot wish it to be delayed. 
My feelings are a little changed, I must say, since last 
spring, when I said I could not think of marrying for three 
or four years ; but seeing Albert has changed all this. 

" Pray, dearest uncle, forward these two letters to Uncle 
103 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Ernest, to whom I beg you will enjoin strict secrecy, and 
explain these details which I have not time to do, and to 
faithful Stockmar. I think you might tell Louise of it, 
but none of her family. 

" I wish to keep the dear young gentlemen here till the 
end of next week. Ernest's sincere pleasure gives me great 
delight. He does so adore dearest Albert. 
"Ever, dearest uncle, 

"Your devoted niece, 

"V. R." 
King Leopold said : 

" I am sure you will like them the more the longer you 
see them. They are young men of merit, and without 
that puppy-like affectation which is so often found with 
young gentlemen of rank; and though remarkably well 
informed, they are very free from pedantry. 

"Albert is a very agreeable companion. His manners 
are so gentle and harmonious that one likes to have him 
near one's self. I always found him so when I had him near 
me, and I think his travels have still improved him. He 
is full of talent and fun, and draws cleverly. I am glad 
to hear that they please the people who see them. They 
deserve it, and were rather nervous about it. I trust they 
will enliven your sejour in the old castle, and may Albert 
be able to strew roses without thorns on the pathway of 
life of our good Victoria. He is well qualified to do so. 
% "Your devoted uncle, 

"Leopold R." 

Again: "I had, when I learned your decision, almost 
the feeling of old Simeon : ' Now lettest Thou Thy servant 
depart in peace.' Your choice has been for these last 
years my conviction of what might and would be best for 
your happiness, and just because I was convinced of it, 
and knew how strangely fate often changes what one 
tries to bring about, as being the best plan one could fix 
upon — the maximum of a good arrangement — I feared 

104 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

that it would not happen. In your position, which may, 
and will, perhaps, become in future even more difficult in a 
political point of view, you could not exist without having 
a happy and agreeable interieur. And I am much deceived 
(which I think I am not), or you will find in Albert just the 
very qualities and disposition which are indispensable 
for your happiness, and which will suit your own char- 
acter, temper, and mode of life. 

" You say most amiably that you consider it a sacrifice 
on the part of Albert. This is true in many points, be- 
cause his position will be a difficult one ; but much, I may 
say all, will depend on your affection for him. If you love 
him, and are kind to him, he will easily bear the bothers of 
his position, and there is a steadiness and, at the same 
time, a cheerfulness in his character which will facilitate 
this. 

" I think your plans excellent. If Parliament had been 
called at an unusual time, it would make them uncom- 
fortable; and if, therefore, they receive the communica- 
tion at the opening of the session, it will be best. The 
marriage, as you say, might then follow as closely as 
possible." 

Prince Albert, himself, writes to Stockmar: "Your 
prophecy is fulfilled. The event has come upon us by 
surprise sooner than we could have expected ; and I now 
doubly regret that I have lost the last summer, which I 
might have employed in many useful preparations, in def- 
erence to the wishes of relations and to the opposition of 
those who influenced the disposal of my life. 

" I have laid to heart your advice as to the true founda- 
tion on which my future happiness must rest, and it agrees 
entirely with the principles of action which I had already 
in my own mind silently framed for myself. A personal- 
ity of character which will win the respect, the love, and 
confidence of the Queen and of the nation must be the 
groundwork of my position. This individuality gives 
security for the disposition which prompts the action ; and 
even should mistakes occur, they will be the more easily 

105 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

pardoned on account of that personality; while even the 
most noble and beautiful undertakings fail in procuring 
support to a man who fails in inspiring that confidence. 

" If, therefore, I prove a ' noble ' Prince in the true sense 
of the word, as you call upon me to be, wise and prudent 
conduct will become easier to me, and its results more rich 
in blessings. 

"I will not let my courage fail. With firm resolution 
and true zeal on my part I cannot fail to continue to be 
'noble, manly, and princely' in all things. In what I 
may do, good advice is the first thing necessary, and that 
you can give better than any one if you can only make 
up your mind to sacrifice your time to me for the first year 
of my existence here." 

This was the commencement of that long residence in 
England which made Baron Stockmar so useful a coun- 
sellor and friend to the Prince and to the Queen. Sir 
Theodore Martin has fully explained how the wisdom of 
host and hostess strictly limited his influence to consulta- 
tion and advice. He was of much use to them in com- 
munications for the benefit of England with foreigners. 
In the transaction of affairs he was able to give them, re- 
moved as they were from actual contact with the person- 
ages directing public affairs abroad, a fair view of the 
trend of Continental opinion, while as a faithful secretary, 
possessing good judgment, he could be of use in the wide 
relationship that family ties throughout Europe neces- 
sarily created. 

While the official publication of the news of the betrothal 
was still delayed, " the Queen and Prince saw a great deal 
of each other, and often discussed his future position — 
what his title should be — whether or not he should be a 
peer (though to this both he and the Queen objected). He 
was, however, naturally to take precedence of every one 
else." 

On November i. Prince Albert, attired in a green uni- 
form of the Coburg troops, accompanied the Queen to a 
review. " At ten minutes to twelve I set off for the ground 

1 06 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

in my Windsor uniform and cap/' the Queen writes, "on 
my old charger, ' Leopold,' with my beloved Albert, looking 
so handsome in his uniform, on my right, and Sir John 
Macdonald, the Adjutant-General, on my left. Colonel 
Grey and Colonel Wemyss preceding me. A guard of 
honor, my other gentlemen, my cousin's gentlemen. Lady 
Caroline Barrington, etc. 

"A horrid day! Cold — dreadfully blowing — and in ad-' 
dition raining hard when we had been out a few minutes. 
It, however, ceased when we came to the ground. I rode 
alone down the ranks, and then took my place, as usual, 
with dearest Albert on my right, and Sir John Macdonald 
on my left, and saw the troops march past. They after- 
wards manoeuvred. The Rifles looked beautiful. It was 
piercingly cold, and I had my cape on, which dearest Albert 
settled comfortably for me. He was so cold, being en 
grande tenue, with high boots. We cantered home again, 
and went in to show ourselves to poor Ernest, who had 
seen all from a window." 

The Prince wrote to his mother: "With the exception 
of my relations towards her [the Queen], my future position 
will have its dark sides, and the sky will not always be 
blue and unclouded. But life has its thorns in every 
position, and the consciousness of having used one's powers 
and endeavors for an object so great as that of promoting 
the good of so many will surely be sufficient to support 
me. 

In another letter he says : " I tremble as I take up my 
pen, for I cannot but fear that what I am about to tell you 
will at the same time raise a thought which cannot be other- 
wise than painful to you, and, oh I which is also very much 
so to me, namely, that of parting. The subject which has 
occupied us so much of late is at last settled." 

He then tells of his happiness, and continues: "Vic- 
toria does whatever she fancies I should wish or like, and 
we talk together a great deal about our future life, which 
she promises me to make as happy as possible. Oh! the 
future! does it not bring with it the moment when I shall 

107 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

have to take leave of my dear, dear home and of you? I 
cannot think of that without deep melancholy taking pos- 
session of me. 

" The Queen and the ministers wished that the marriage 
should take place in the first days of February, to which I 
acquiesced, after hearing their reasons for it. My position 
here will be very pleasant, inasmuch as I have refused all the 
offered titles. I keep my own name and remain what I was. 
It makes it the easier for me to run over occasionally to visit 
the old home and see my dear relations. 

"I ask you to give me your blessing, which will be a 
talisman to me against all the storms the future may have 
in store." 

Again : " To live and to sacrifice myself for the benefit 
of my new country does not prevent my doing good to that 
country from which I have received so many benefits. 
While I shall be untiring in my efforts and labors for the 
country to which I shall in future belong, and where I am 
called to so high a position, I shall never cease to be a true 
German, a true Coburg and Gotha man. Still, the separa- 
tion will be very painful to me." 

The princes soon after left for Germany. 

The marriage was announced on November 15 to the 
Queen Dowager Adelaide, and to other members of the 
family. With her Prime Minister the Queen conferred on 
the various arrangements to be made, especially with regard 
to the declaration to be made to the Privy Council. It was 
feared to allude to the Prince's religion. It might have 
been taken for granted that the descendant of a house 
which had distinguished itself by being among the first 
to take a prominent part among the princes of Germany 
for the Reformation would not have been supposed to be a 
Roman Catholic, yet an absurd report was being circulated 
that he was one. It is odd how the " No Popery " cry has 
its periodical recrudescence. 

On the 23d eighty members of the Privy Council as- 
sembled in the central room on the ground-floor in Buck- 
ingham Palace. "At two," the Queen writes, "I went in. 

108 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

The room was full, but I hardly knew who was there. 
Lord Melbourne I saw looking kindly at me with tears in 
his eyes, bvit he was not near me. I then read my short 
declaration. I felt my hands shake, but I did not make 
one mistake. I felt most happy and thankful when it was 
over." 

The usual form was then proceeded with in asking the 
Queen that her most gracious communication might be 
printed. "Of course," the Queen says, "there was no end 
of congratulations. I wore a bracelet with the Prince's 
picture, and it seemed to give me courage at the Council." 

'T have taken a fine sheet of paper," Croker wrote to 
Lady Hardwicke, " in honor of the Queen, to write to you 
what passed in Council. We had a very full Council, 
and the great Duke [of Wellington] attended. When we 
had assembled to the number of eighty, and as many had 
taken their seats as could at a long table, her Majesty 
was handed in by the Lord Chamberlain, and, bowing to 
us all round, sat down, saying, 'Your lordships will be 
seated.' She then unfolded a paper, and read her declara- 
tion. I cannot describe to you with what a mixture of 
self-possession and feminine delicacy she read the paper. 
Her voice, which is naturally beautiful, was clear and 
untroubled, and her eye was bright and calm, neither 
bold nor downcast, but firm and soft. There was a blush 
on her cheek, which made her look both handsome and 
more interesting ; and certainly she did look as interesting 
and as handsome as any young lady I ever saw. After 
the Lord President had asked her permission to publish 
her declaration, she bowed consent, handed him the paper, 
rose, bowed all round, and retired, led as before by the 
Lord Chamberlain, to the outer room, where the attendants 
who were not of the Council had waited. The crowd, 
which was not great but very decent, at the palace gate, 
expressed their approbation of the Duke of Wellington 
and Sir R. Peel, and their disapprobation of the ministers 
(Melbourne and Co. ) very loudly. Lord John Russell and 
Lord Normanby were positively hooted. Lord Melbourne 

109 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

seemed to me to look careworn, and, on the whole, the 
meeting had a sombre air." 

Discussions annoying to the Queen followed with re- 
gard to the precedence to be given to the Prince, and as 
to the King of Hanover withholding his consent. Whether 
the Prince's arms should be quartered with the Queen's 
was also a matter that had to be decided, and great discre- 
tion was shown by the bridegroom in the views he wrote 
to England. 

"Now I come to a second point which you touch upon 
in your letter, and which I have also much at heart ; I mean 
the choice of the persons who are to belong to my house- 
hold. The maxim, 'Tell me whom he associates with, 
and I will tell you who he is,' must here especially not be 
lost sight of. I should wish particularly that the selection 
should be made without regard to politics, for if I am really 
to keep myself free from all parties, my people must not 
belong exclusively to one side. Above all, these appoint- 
ments should not be mere 'party rewards,' but they should 
possess other recommendations besides those of party. 
Let them be either of very high rank, or very rich, or very 
clever, or who have performed important services for Eng- 
land. It is very necessary that they should be chosen from 
both sides — the same number of Whigs as of Tories; and 
above all do I wish that they should be well-educated men 
and of high character, who, as I have already said, shall 
have distinguished themselves in their several positions, 
whether it be in the army or navy, or in the scientific 
world." 

At the opening of Parliament the Queen said from the 
throne: "I humbly implore that the divine blessing may 
prosper this union, and render it conducive to the interests 
of my people, as well as of my own domestic happiness; 
and it will be to me a source of the most lively satisfaction 
to find the resolution I have taken approved by my Parlia- 
ment." 

Fifty thousand pounds had been proposed for his in- 
come, but only £30,000 was finally voted, a change which 

no 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

gave less opportunity than had been anticipated for the 
encouragement of art and the support of those national 
objects which his position demanded. 

When the news was told to him, he was on his way back 
to England, and he feared that the marriage was unpopu- 
lar. His reception, as soon as he reached our shores, was 
sufficient to remove this impression. From Dover to Lon- 
don great crowds, moved by much enthusiasm, welcomed 
him. 

The Queen wrote afterwards, in thinking of this time: 
" A worse school for a young girl, or one more detrimental 
to all natural feelings and affections, cannot w^ell be im- 
agined than the position of a Queen at eighteen, without 
experience and without a husband to guide and support 
her. This the Queen can state from painful experience, 
and she thanks God that none of her dear daughters are 
exposed to such danger." 

The marriage did not take place until 1840. On Feb- 
ruary loth, at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, every place 
was filled as the company waited for the Queen, who left 
Buckingham Palace with her mother and the Duchess of 
Sutherland at one o'clock. The bridegroom's procession 
had arrived only a few minutes before. 

On the morning of the day of his wedding Prince Albert 
wrote: "In less than three hours I shall stand before the 
altar with my dear bride. In these solemn moments I must 
once more ask your blessing, which I am sure I shall re- 
ceive, and which will be my safeguard and my future joy I 
I must end. God help me I" 

Of all those who accompanied the bride as her maids, 
one only. Lady Jane Bouverie, remains alive. The others 
were: Lady Adelaide Paget, Lady Sarah Villiers, Lady 
Frances Cowper, Lady Elizabeth West, Lady Mary Grim- 
ston. Lady Eleanor Paget, Lady Caroline Lennox, Lady 
Elizabeth Howard, Lady Ida Hay, Lady Mary Howard, 
and Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, afterwards Duchess of 
Cleveland. 

The bridegroom waited near the altar and entered into 

III 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

conversation with Queen Adelaide. He wore the uniform 
of a field-marshal in the British army, with the collar of 
the Garter. The Duke of Sussex advanced in the bride's 
procession, and to him the honor was assigned to give 
away the bride. Her dress is described as of rich white 
satin, trimmed with orange-flower blossoms. On her head 
a wreath of the same, over which, but not so worn as to 
conceal her face, was a veil of Honiton lace. Her brides- 
maids and train-bearers were in like dresses, but without 
veils. She wore the collar of the Garter, and the twelve 
ladies who followed her made a beautiful group. 

Advancing up the chapel to the music of the national 
anthem, she first knelt, and then sat down in her chair of 
state. In a few moments she rose and advanced with 
Prince Albert to the communion table, when the service 
was commenced. After the words "Those whom God 
hath joined together let no man put asunder" had been 
spoken, the guns in the Park and at the Tower fired a 
salute. 

The following account was written by one of the 
bridesmaids. Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, afterwards 
Duchess of Cleveland, and is now published for the first 
time: 

"The day proved very rainy early in the morning, but 
it cleared up at about eleven, and the sun shone out bright- 
ly upon the bride as she passed through the rooms with 
her procession on her way to the chapel. 

" The procession was thus formed : 

THE QUEEN 
Left Right 

Lady Adelaide Paget Lady Caroline Lennox 

Lady Sarah Villiers Lady Elizabeth Howard 

Lady Fanny Cowper Lady Ida Hay 

Lady Elizabeth West Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope 

Lady Mary Grimston Lady Jane Bouverie 

Lady Mary Howard Lady Eleanor Paget 

"I arrived about eleven with my pendant, Elizabeth 

112 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

West. Our orders were to go and lock ourselves up in the 
Queen's dressing-room till she arrived; and accordingly 
Lord Erroll, whom we found at the foot of the staircase, 
gave us in charge to a Mr. Dobel, who, to our horror, mar- 
shalled us through the state rooms, filled with people 
waiting to see the procession — some, as I am told, having 
been sitting there since half -past eight 1 

" The dressing-room, where the twelve young ladies in 
tulle and w^hite roses were iimnured for one hour and a half, 
fortunately commanded a view of the park, and we spent 
our time in watching the lines of Foot Guards forming 
under our windows, the evolutions of the Blues, who looked 
a good deal rusted by the rain, the people in the park, etc. 

"At about half-past twelve the Queen arrived, looking 
as white as a sheet, but not apparently nervous. She was 
dressed in white satin and Honiton lace, with the collars 
of her orders, which are very splendid, round her neck, and 
on her head a very high wreath of orange flowers, a very 
few diamonds studded into her hair behind, in which was 
fastened her veil, also, I believe, of Honiton lace, and very 
handsome. 

"Her train was of white satin, trimmed with orange 
flowers, but rather too short for the number of young 
ladies who carried it. We were all huddled together, and 
scrambled rather than w^alked along, kicking each other's 
heels and treading on each other's gowns. 

"The Queen was perfectly composed and quiet, but 
unusually pale. She walked very slowly, giving ample 
time for all the spectators to gratify their curiosity, and cer- 
tainly she was never before more earnestly scrutinized. 

" I thought she trembled a little as she entered the chapel, 
where Prince Albert, the Queen Dowager, and all the royal 
family were waiting for her. She took her place on the 
left side of the altar, and knelt down in prayer for a few 
minutes, and Prince Albert followed her example. He 
wore a field-marshal's uniform, and two large white satin 
rosettes on his shoulders, with the Garter, etc. Perhaps 
he appeared awkward from embarrassment, but he was 

113 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

certainly a good deal perplexed and agitated in delivering 
his responses, 

"Her Majesty was quite calm and composed. When 
Prince Albert was asked whether he would take this woman 
for his wife, she turned full round and looked into his face 
as he replied ' I will. ' Her own responses were given in 
the same clear, musical tone of voice with which she read 
her speeches in the House of Lords, and in much the same 
manner. 

"The Duke of Sussex was greatly affected, and Lord 
Fitzwilliam was heard to sob responsively from the gal- 
lery, but no one else seemed in the least disturbed. The 
Duke of Sussex has a story that no one cried but one of 
the singing boys; however, I can vouch for his tears. 
The Queen's two tears, mentioned in the Morning Post, I 
did not see. 

"The old Duke of Cambridge was decidedly gay, mak- 
ing very audible remarks from time to time. The Queen 
Dowager looked quite the beau-ideal of a Queen Dowager — 
grave, dignified, and very becomingly dressed in purple 
velvet and ermine, and a purple velvet coiffure with a mag- 
nificent diamond branch. 

" After it was over we all filed out of the chapel in the 
same order, the Duke of Cambridge very gallantly hand- 
ing the princesses down the steps with many audible ci- 
vilities. The Queen gave her hand to her husband, who 
led her back through the rooms (where her reception was 
enthusiastic) to the throne room, where the royal fam- 
ily, the Coburgs, etc., signed their names in the registry 
book. 

"The Queen then presented each of her bridesmaids 
with a brooch, an eagle (Prince Albert's crest) of turquoise 
and pearls. After this she took her departure down the 
back stairs, at the foot of which I consigned the train to 
Prince Albert's care, who seemed a little nervous about get- 
ting into the carriage with a lady with a tail six yards long 
and voluminous in proportion!" 

On the return to the palace the crowds heartily cheered 

114 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

not only the newly married pair, but also manj'- of those 
they recognized, and it was noticed that the loudest and 
most enthusiastic cheers accorded to any single person 
were reserved for the Duke of Wellington, who had not 
been in the royal procession, which had passed some dis- 
tance before he appeared. The heart of the old soldier 
seemed gladdened by the applause. 

The departure for Windsor followed in weather gloomy 
and dispiriting. As far as the eye could reach towards 
Kensington, Hyde Park, and Piccadilly, the whole area 
was more or less thickly crowded with human beings, all 
anxiously expecting to see something of the Queen. Every- 
where subscriptions were raised to give the poor a dinner, 
that they might, with those who were better off, drink the 
toast of "Health and happiness to Victoria and Albert." 

The Queen wrote : " Our reception was most enthusiastic, 
hearty, and gratifying in every way, the people quite 
deafening us with their cheers, and horsemen, gigs, etc., 
going along with us." At Eton the boys accompanied 
the carriage to the castle. Two days afterwards the whole 
family and Court followed to Windsor. There was danc- 
ing for two nights, and on the 14th all returned again to 
London. The Queen and Prince received addresses from 
Parliament, visited the theatres, and found that the people 
had thoroughly ratified their sovereign's choice. The Prince 
had thereafter a great part to play, for his influence could, 
for weal or woe, affect the position of the crown. Personal 
character was to have a far greater effect in maintaining 
loyalty in proportion as the direct personal part taken 
by the sovereign became merged in ministerial respon- 
sibility. The vital elements of the moral w^ell-being of 
the community could be tainted or strengthened by the 
personal example of those set " in the fierce light that beats 
upon a throne." The domestic virtues, which 'must lie 
at the root of national health and strength, become more 
highly prized when those who are at the head of society 
rightly conduct what is called their private life, but which 
never can be really private for them. As the glare of 

115 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

publicity, through the reading of newspapers, increases, 
and as the knowledge of the tastes of all persons in public 
positions becomes common knowledge, public disapproval 
of an evil example, where such is shown by a sovereign, 
becomes a danger to the crown. If such danger be raised, 
it affects not only the commonweal, through scandal, but 
prevents the constitutional head of the country from ex- 
ercising his proper influence. Where there is no respect 
there cannot be true deference paid. It was one of the 
many glories of the reign of the Queen that purity of con- 
duct lent weight to the counsels of the monarch. That 
such counsels can be used to assuage the mischief of par- 
tisan violence, to keep peace when words of irritation would 
have precipitated disastrous wars, to preserve dignity in 
relations with foreign powers, to discriminate between 
just and unjust causes of offence ; in short, to exercise sov- 
ereign power, first by impartiality, and later by experience, 
was shown, over and over again, in a very high degree, 
during the long and great reign of Victoria. 

To those who are so happy as were the Prince and Queen, 
it might be imagined that any exhibition of jealousy would 
not have caused annoyance. Injustice, however, must 
necessarily dog the footsteps of those in high position. 
But the Prince from the first desired, as he said, to act 
on the principle which always guided him — to sink his own 
individual existence in that of his wife, to aim at no power 
by himself or for himself, to shun all ostentation, to assume 
no separate responsibility before the public ; but continuing 
anxiously to watch every part of the public business in order 
to be able to advise and assist her at any moment in any 
of the multifarious and difficult questions brought before 
her, whether political, social, or personal; as the natural 
head of her family, superintendent of her household, and 
manager of her private affairs ; her sole confidential adviser 
in politics, and only assistant in her communications with 
the officers of her government. 

At first he was never present at interviews between the 
Queen and her ministers, though he was at great pains to 

ii6 



BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE 

inform himself about everything; and though the Prime 
Minister desired that the Queen should tell him and show 
him everything connected with public affairs, he did not at 
this time take much part in the transaction of business. 

"Victoria allows me," he said later, "to take much part 
in foreign affairs, and I think I have already done some 
good. I always commit my views to paper, and then 
communicate them to Lord Melbourne. He seldom an- 
swers me, but I have often had the satisfaction of seeing 
him act entirely in accordance with what I have said." 

In 1 84 1 he writes: "All I can say about my political 
position is that I study the politics of the day with great 
industry, and continue to keep myself free from all parties. 
I take active interest in all national institutions and as- 
sociations. I speak quite openly with the ministers on all 
subjects, so as to obtain information, and meet on all sides 
with much kindness. I endeavor quietly to be of as much 
use to Victoria in her position as I can." 

His love of music was fully shared by the Queen, and 
he not only enjoyed it, but was able himself to shine as a 
composer. Famous musicians used to come to Windsor 
and Buckingham Palace, where there was an organ in the 
Prince's drawing-room, to play to them. 



CHAPTER IV 

EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

The Prince's birthday was always kept by the Queen 
with those pleasant German customs which are becoming 
every year more customary among the English. In this 
country we never thought of having Christmas-trees until 
the commencement of the Queen's reign, and one of the 
first ever seen by many persons at a large party in England 
was set up in the hall of Stafford House. Even now we 
do not make them so much the chief ornament, and the 
centre of our Christmas thanksgiving and present-giving, 
as do people on the Continent and in America. Among 
German congregations in the States I have known the 
Christmas-tree introduced into the church, and its lighting 
accompanied by a choral burst of happy carolling from 
the gallery above. One never heard of any such cus- 
toms in English country-houses in the eighteenth cen- 
tury. It is distinctly a happy feature introduced into 
our winter life by associations connected with the life of 
the Queen. 

So, also, in regard to family fetes held on birthdays. 
No such day ever passed in the Queen's home without due 
celebration, and the table, with the gifts sent to him or her 
who had accomplished another year of pilgrimage, was the 
first thing that met the eye in the breakfast-room. The 
Prince's birthday was August 26. 

The autumn was largely spent at Windsor. On Novem- 
ber 21 their first child, a daughter, was born to them. 
The Prince was glad to sit by the Queen in her darkened 
room to read and write as she wished. No one but him- 
self ever lifted her from her bed to the sofa, and he always 

118 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

helped to wheel her into the next room. For this purpose 
he would come instantly, when sent for, from any part of 
the house, and, as years went on, and he became over- 
whelmed with work, this was often done with much in- 
convenience to himself, but he ever came with a sweet 
smile on his face. In short, his care of her was like that 
of a mother. Nor could there be a wiser or more judicious 
nurse. 

The baby received the name of her mother. Early in 
the new year the Prince wrote : " The cold has been intense. 
Nevertheless, I managed in skating three days ago to 
break through the ice in Buckingham Palace gardens. 
I was making my way to Victoria, who was standing on 
the bank with one of her ladies, and when within some 
few yards of the bank I fell plump into the water, and had 
to swim for two or three minutes in order to get out. Vic- 
toria was the only person with the presence of mind to 
lend me assistance, her lady being more occupied in scream- 
ing for help. The shock from the cold was extremely 
painful, and I cannot thank Heaven enough that I escaped 
with nothing more than a severe cold. 

"The christening went off very well. The child behaved 
with great propriety, like a Christian. She was awake, 
but did not cry at all, and seemed to crow with immense 
satisfaction at the lights and brilliant uniforms, for she is 
very intelligent and observant. The ceremony took place 
at 6.30 P. M., and after it there was a dinner, and then we 
had some instrumental music. The health of the little 
one was drunli with great enthusiasm. The little girl 
bears her Saxon arms in the middle of the English, which 
looks very pretty." 

The Saxon coat of arms has horizontal black bars upon 
a yellow ground, and stretched diagonally across the 
field is a cognizance which looks like a green coronet stretch- 
ed out, but is the heraldic representation of "a. wreath of 
rue," which in Elizabeth's time in England used to be called 
" the herb of grace." 

The Prince sought to set upon a firm footing a question 

119 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

ever likely to recur, that of political influences around the 
Queen. " I explained to Lord Melbourne/' he wrote, " that 
I was naturally under some uneasiness — that my chief 
object was the Queen, and my sole anxiety that nothing 
unconstitutional should be done; and, that the Queen 
should come out of the crisis this time with more eclat than 
she had on a previous occasion, that it was my duty and 
his also not only to prepare the Queen for the possible 
eventuality, but also to come with her to an agreement 
as to what she and I and he would have to do. I showed 
him the points which I had already communicated to you, 
and he agreed with me in all of them." 

It was remarkable that so young a man should put so 
clearly, and in such ordered sequence, the means by which 
this and other difficulties could best be met, and every 
statesman who in turn came into contact with him was 
struck by his common-sense ability, and by his possession 
of that rarest of all qualities, the power of taking a generally 
large and just view of any question. 

"Our life has been very unsettled," he writes in 1841. 
"We paid a very interesting and agreeable three days' 
visit to the Archbishop of York at Newnham, and from 
there I went to Oxford, where I was well received. The 
commemoration was postponed for my presence. The im- 
pending dissolution is now the engrossing topic of interest. 
It emi^ties purses, sets families by the ears, demoralizes 
the lower classes, and perverts many of the upper whose 
character wants strength to keep them straight. But 
this, like other things, comes to an end, and so does not 
bring the body politic to ruin as it might otherwise do. 
To-morrow we visit the Duke of Devonshire at Chiswick. 
On Monday we go to see the Trafalgar launched at Wool- 
wich, and on Tuesday prorogue Parliament. Thursday 
we have a council for the dissolution of Parliament. To- 
day we had a Chapter of the Bath. Sir Charles Napier 
was decorated. Yesterday was the last drawing-room 
of the season, and all the world is rushing out of town to 
agitate the country for and against." 

120 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

Queen Louise of Belgium had been to stay with them 
on a visit that gave Queen Victoria great pleasure. " Louise 
is perfect/' she wrote; "so excellent, so full of every 
kind and high feeling. Glorious soul I Albert is the only 
equal to her in unselfishness; she never thinks of herself." 

She was much pleased with her reception in the country. 
"Nothing could be more enthusiastic or affectionate than 
our reception everywhere, and I am happy to hear that 
our presence has left a favorable impression. The loyalty 
in this country is certainly very striking." She felt the 
loss of Lord Melbourne when he had to resign, he being 
followed by Sir Robert Peel. 

The following extracts from letters from the Queen to a 
private friend belong to this period, and may here be con- 
veniently grouped together : 

" Many thanks for your kind little note received yester- 
day afternoon. We shall be with you at a little after half- 
past seven this evening. There is one thing I wish to ask 
you, which is if you have invited Lord Melbourne. If 
you have not invited him, perhaps you would do so, as he 
would have dined with me had I stayed at home. If he 
cannot come to dinner, I am sure he will come after. As I 
shall see him this morning, may I tell him so?" 

"Buckingham Palace, 1839. 
" Marochetti is most successful in his bust of the Prince, 
and it will be a fine work of art. We find him very agree- 
able, gentlemanlike, and unassuming." 

" March, 1839. 
" I should be very sorry to interfere with your dinner to- 
morrow, though very greatly regretting not to see you. I 
said to you the day of my marriage that I hoped you would 
let Albert see your house some day. It appears to me that 
before Easter would be pleasanter almost than after, as 
there are less engagements. Would you therefore, per- 
haps, receive us some day either at the end of this month or 

121 



VICTORIA R. 1. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

the beginning of April? I am very well to-day, and none 
the worse for last night's entertainment. Would you dine 
with us and accompany me to the opening [of Parliament] 
on Saturday?" 

"Buckingham Palace, April i6, 1839. 

" I had been complaining to your brother of your being 
very paresseuse in not writing for a long time. The two 
letters have made ample amends for your long silence. 

"Rome must be very interesting, but I should have 
thought Naples so much more gay. I am glad that you 
met my cousin, for I had written to him that I hoped you 
would. The Princess of Altenburg is a charming person, 
and he is a very good man. Both are devoted to their little 
baby. We expect the Grand Duke to come here about the 
end of this month, but the date of his arrival is not yet 
known. 

" Lord Melbourne, who I fear has somewhat fallen into 
disgrace with you for not writing, is, I am glad to say, in 
excellent health." 

"Windsor, January 21, 1 84 1. 

"We are very sorry to go to London, as we enjoy our- 
selves here so much. We have been driving these last 
two evenings. Lord and Lady Leveson are staying here. 
He is one of the best drivers, but is now lame with a bad 
knee. 

" The statue by Wolfe, which is to be placed in the gal- 
lery at Buckingham Palace, is, I hear, beautiful. Have 
all your statues, etc., from Italy arrived? 

" I must not omit to tell you that the christening of our 
little girl will take place on February lo, in the evening, 
at Buckingham Palace. I should much wish you to at- 
tend me on that occasion. It will be in full dress, and 
everybody in white. There will only be a large full-dress 
dinner immediately after it." 

The Queen took much interest in the work of a com- 
mission appointed to consider the artistic decoration of 

122 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

the new Houses of Parliament, which had been designed 
by Barry. It was justly hoped that a great opportunity 
might be given by the filling of the panels in the various 
rooms and corridors with paintings illustrating historical 
subjects. This was a scheme which has only been partial- 
ly carried out, but none of those whose haunt has been 
the lobbies and passages cormecting the chambers of the 
Lords and Commons will deny that the great interest 
shown by the public in those works which did receive a 
place fully warrants the continued prosecution of the 
scheme. Art is the handmaid of historj^, and has been 
its best teacher. 

A fine conception by Herbert representing Moses de- 
scending from Sinai with the Tables of the Law in his 
hands is an example of how the genius of English art can 
be called forth for such occasions. The committee-room 
in which this fine work is placed is lit from above, so that 
the picture of the red granite valley and mighty scarred 
mountain-side of Sinai, looking as though forever seared 
by the lightning which played around it when Moses had 
ascended from the sight of the kneeling multitude, is 
visited by admiring groups whenever the doors are open 
to the public. Perhaps it would have been better if the 
picture of the carrying-down of the Tables of the Law by 
the great Jewish leader had been placed in a position some- 
what more remote from the locality where the Lord Chan- 
cellor and his colleagues proclaim the tables of the British 
law. 

There are an almost endless number of spaces which 
might be similarly occupied by great designs calculated 
to instruct and educate all who visit these halls, not except- 
ing the legislators who discuss the speeches made during 
the evening in the smoking-rooms of the Palace of West- 
minster. 

Lord Lyndhurst was one of the coinmission — a famous 
ex-Chancellor, who wore a brown wig and was fond of 
making speeches which were not exempt from that dry, 
even-voiced delivery to which those of his profession seem, 

123 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

with few exceptions, to be predestined from their birth. 
The Duke of Sutherland was another commissioner — a 
man possessed of great refinement of taste, but from his 
deafness too soon withdrawn from the pubhc occupations 
he might otherwise long have adorned. Lord Lansdowne, 
with his honest English face and shaggy gray eye- 
brows and shabby gray hat, still w^earing the blue coat 
and brass buttons of a previous generation, was an- 
other. Then there was Lord Aberdeen, with his sagacious, 
heavy features, and gray hair brushed forward — a fashion 
adopted by Viscount Melbourne, who likewise sat on the 
commission. Of the others, there were Lord Ashburton, 
whose wealth was so largely bestowed on the magnificent 
collection of illuminated manuscripts but recently dis- 
persed; Lord Seaton, bearing a name famous in military 
history; Lord Eversley, who had been Speaker of the 
House of Commons, and who is reputed to have believed 
that he could daunt any member of the House by the mere 
severity of the glance that shot from his expressive eyes — 
a talent which Speaker Denison, who soon followed him in 
the chair, was wont modestly to say that he could not claim 
to possess; Lord Lincoln, the eldest son of the Duke of 
Newcastle, afterwards well known to the public as" a much- 
abused Minister of War, held responsible for many of the 
shortcomings the War Office revealed by our unprepared- 
ness at the commencement of the Crimean War ; Lord John 
Russell — "Magnum in Parvo," as he was called; Lord 
Francis Egerton, the Duke of Sutherland's brother, learn- 
ed in art, and possessing one of the finest collections in 
London; Lord Palmerston; Sir Robert Peel; Sir James 
Graham, genial and clever; the Squire of Netherby, 
and others, among whom was Tennyson's friend, the 
historian Hallam; Samuel Rogers; Lord Mahon, the 
historian of the Spanish War of Succession, afterwards 
Lord Stanhope; and Macaulay — a sufficiently numerous 
body, with Eastlake of the Royal Academy to act as 
secretary. 
The latter describes the Prince as entering alone to see 

124 




THE QUEEN IN 184O 
(From a painting by William Fowler) 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

him before the first meeting. "He made/' he says, "at 
once for the window recess in which I had been standing, 
thoiAgh on his entering I advanced to the middle of the 
room and bowed. He stood kneeling with one knee on a 
chair while he talked, so that we were at close quarters in a 
strong light, which showed his beautiful face to great ad- 
vantage. There was nothing in his exterior so striking 
as his face. He is exactly like the engraving from Ross's 
miniature, but now a little stouter. He soon put me at 
my ease by his pleasant manner. After speaking of Sir 
Robert Peel and the immediate cause of my waiting on 
him myself, we proceeded to discuss the question which 
was hereafter to engage our attention more. I listened 
to his plans, and made objections where I thought it neces- 
sary. Two or three times I quite forgot who he was — he 
talked so naturally and argued so fairly. I thought that 
the moment was come when I must make a stand against 
the introduction of foreign artists, for if he had insisted 
upon this I had made up my mind to resign my secretary- 
ship. I almost said as much by observing that I was ir- 
revocably committed on that point by my letter to the 
chairman of the late committee. He said he knew I was, 
for he had read that letter. He added, however, that he 
quite agreed with me. I said I saw no objection to English 
artists, who might be intrusted with the management of 
considerable works, employing Germans under them. 
To my agreeable surprise. Prince Albert would not even 
admit that this was necessary, for he said he was convinced 
that in all that related to practical dexterity, which was a 
department in which it was assumed that some instruc- 
tion for frescos would be necessary, the English were par- 
ticularly skilful. He observed that 'in all mere me- 
chanism the English surpass all other nations; even to 
the varnish on coaches it is surprising how much more 
perfect the English practice is than what one sees on the 
Continent. ' " 

Eastlake observed that " the Prince spoke English al- 
most perfectly as to idiom. Alluding to the means by 

125 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

which a school of rising fresco-painters might be en- 
couraged, he said, ' There are two great auxiharies in this 
country which seldom fail to promote the success of any 
scheme, viz., fashion and a high example. Fashion, we 
know, is all in all in England, and if the Court — I mean the 
Queen and myself — set the example hereafter by having 
works of this kind done, the same taste will extend itself to 
wealthy individuals. The English country-seats, which 
are the most beautiful in the world, will acquire additional 
effect from the introduction of such a style of decoration, 
and with such occupation the school would never lan- 
guish, and would at least have time to develop itself fully/ 
I said that fresco might in some sorts be compared to 
sculpture, which could conceal nothing, and in which the 
need of definement involved the necessity of beauty. The 
Prince paid me the gracious compliment of saying, 'You 
have expressed in a few words what I have said in many.' " 

After the Prince of Wales's birth, which took place on 
November 9, 1841, the Queen wrote to King Leopold: "I 
wonder very much whom our little boy will be like. You 
will understand how fervent are my prayers, and I am 
sure everybody's must be, to see him resemble his father 
in every respect, both in body and mind. Oh! my dearest 
uncle, I am sure if you knew how happy, how blessed I feel, 
and how proud in possessing such a perfect being as my 
husband! And when you think that you have been in- 
strumental in bringing about this union, it must gladden 
your heart. We must all have trials and vexations, but 
if one's home is happy then the rest is comparatively 
nothing. I assure you, dear uncle, that no one feels 
this more than I do. I had this autumn one of the sever- 
est trials I could have in parting with my government, 
and particularly from our kind and valued friend, and 
I feel even now this last very much ; but my happiness at 
home, with the love of my husband, his kindness, his ad- 
vice, his support, and his company, make up for all, and 
make me forget." 

One of the best of the pictures of ceremonies in the col- 

126 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

lection at Windsor is that of the christening of the Prince 
of Wales in St. George's Chapel. " How impossible," said 
the Queen, "it is to describe how beautiful and impos- 
ing the effect of the whole scene was in the fine old chapel, 
with the banners and music, and the light shining upon 
the altar!" In those days the great east window above 
that altar had been filled in with a mighty picture in glass, 
which afterwards gave way to the far more decorative em- 
blazonment, giving in jewelled colors the figures through 
which the morning sun now shines down on sculptured 
oak and the flags bearing the anns of the Garter Knights. 
It is always a mistake to attempt more in glass than a 
suggestion of a scene, which, to make a colored window 
effective, must be rendered in hues far too bright for a 
faithful representation of nature. 

Baroness Bunsen describes the opening of Parliament: 
" A great scene, from which I had expected much, and was 
not disappointed. The throngs in the streets, in the win- 
dows, on every spot where foot could stand, all looking 
so pleased. The splendid Horse Guards, the Grenadier 
Guards — of whom it might be said, ' An appearance so fine 
you know not how to believe it true ' — the Yeomen of the 
Body Guard. Then, in the House of Lords, the peers in 
their robes, the beautifully dressed ladies, with the many, 
many beautiful faces. Last, the procession of the Queen's 
entry, and herself looking worthy and fit to be the con- 
verging point of so many rays of grandeur. The com- 
posure with which she filled the throne while awaiting the 
Commons was a test of character — no fidget and no apathy. 
Then her voice and enunciation could not be more perfect. 
In short, it could not be said that she did well, but that she 
was the Queen. She was, and felt herself to be, the ac- 
knowledged chief among grand national realities. Placed 
in a narrow space behind her Majesty's mace-bearers, 
and peeping over their shoulders, I was enabled to hide and 
subdue the emotion I felt, conscious of the mighty pages 
in the world's history condensed in the words so impress- 
ively uttered in the silver tones of that feminine voice — 

127 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

peace and war, the fate of millions, the relations of coun- 
tries, the exertions of power felt to the extremities of the 
globe, alterations of laws, the birth of a future sovereign 
mentioned in solemn thanksgiving to Him in whose hands 
are nation and ruler. With what should one respond but 
with a heartfelt aspiration : ' God bless and guide her, for 
her sake and the sake of all/ " 

An attempt was soon afterwards made upon the 
Queen's life by a young man. The Prince, in referring 
to this, said of his wife, "She has most of the toil and 
least of the enjoyments of the world," and gave the fol- 
lowing account to his father of what he described as " the 
dreadful occurrence of yesterday." "On Sunday, the 
29th," he wrote, "as we were returning from the Chapel 
Royal, St. James's Palace, at two o'clock, as we drove 
along the Mall there was the usual crowd of spectators 
under the trees on our left, who bowed and cheered. When 
we were nearly opposite Stafford House I saw a man step 
out from the crowd and present a pistol fully at me. He 
was some two paces from us. I heard the trigger snap, 
but it must have missed fire. I turned to Victoria, who 
was seated on my right, and asked her, 'Did j^ou hear 
that?' She had been bowing to the people on the right, 
and had observed nothing. I said, 'I may be mistaken, 
but I feel sure I saw some one take aim at us. ' When we 
reached the palace I asked the footmen who had been at 
the back of the carriage if they had not noticed a man step 
forward and stretch his hand towards the carriage, as if he 
wanted to throw a petition into it. They had noticed noth- 
ing. We were immediately impressed with the importance 
of keeping what had occurred a profound secret. I did not 
breathe a syllable about it to any one except Colonel Ar- 
buthnot, to whom I told what had happened, and directed 
him to make it known forthwith to the Inspector of Police. 
I then ran out upon the balcony to see whether the man had 
not been caught, which would have led to the commotion of 
hundreds crowding round him; but all was quiet, and the 
people dispersed, satisfied with having seen the Queen. 

128 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

" In the afternoon Sir Robert Peel, with the head of the 
poHce, came and took down my statement in writing, to- 
gether with a description of the man's appearance. I be- 
gan ahnost to distrust myself and what I had seen, as no 
one else had noticed anything, and we were driving rapidly 
at the time. Yesterday morning a boy of fourteen, who 
stutters greatly, came to Mr. Murray and said he had seen 
a man present a pistol at us as we were returning from 
church, but not fire, exclaiming afterwards, 'Fool that I 
was not to fire!' The thing had also been seen by an 
elderly gentleman, who had turned round and said, ' This 
is something too strange.' The boy followed the gentle- 
man, fancying he would go and report the matter to the 
police, and thinking he might be wanted as a witness, 
but the gentleman walked up St. James's Street. Here 
he turned round, having observed that the boy continued 
to follow him, repeated his former exclamation, asked the 
boy's name, age, and address, and wrote them down. 
Pearse, thinking that the affair was in good hands, went 
home, but as he heard no more of the gentleman he came 
to the palace. There was now no longer any doubt, so we 
sent the boy to the Home Office, where his evidence was 
taken down. The police showed the greatest activity. 
We were naturally much agitated, Victoria very nervous 
and unwell. As the doctor wished that she should go out, 
we determined to do so, for we should have had to shut 
ourselves up for months had we settled not to go out so 
long as the miscreant was at large. Besides, as he could 
have no suspicion he was watched, we felt sure he would 
again come skulking about the palace, and that the numer- 
ous policemen in plain clothes who were on the lookout 
for him would seize him on the least imprudence on his 
part. We drove out at four o'clock, gave orders to 
drive faster than usual, and for the two equerries. 
Colonel Wilde and Colonel Arbuthnot, to ride close to 
the carriage. You may imagine that our minds were 
not very easy. We looked behind every tree, and I cast 
my eyes around in search of the rascal's face. We, 
I 129 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

however, got safely through the parks and drove towards 
Hampstead." 

It was when returning from Hampstead that the attempt 
on the Queen's hf e was made. " Owing to the rapid pace 
at which we were going/' wrote one of the equerries, "my 
horse being very near to the man, he was disconcerted, and 
he aimed too low. Her Majesty heard the report, and her 
extraordinary calmness was wonderful. She was natural- 
ly affected, but did not betray the slightest appearance of 
alarm, but was as calm and as collected as when looking at 
the view at Hampstead. Prince Albert struck me as being 
very much affected at her Majesty's providential escape." 

Prince Albert wrote : " The shot must have passed under 
the carriage, for he lowered his hand. We felt as if a load 
had been taken off our hearts, and we thanked the Al- 
mighty for having preserved us from so great a danger. 
John Francis, for that is the man's name, was standing 
near a policeman, who immediately seized him, but could 
not prevent the shot. It was the same spot where Oxford 
had fired at us two years ago, with this difference only, 
that Oxford was standing on our left, with his back to the 
garden wall." 

The Queen, the Prince's secretary thought, had fully 
expected it, and it was a relief to her to have it over. She 
had for some time been under the impression that one of 
these mad attempts would be made. She said she never 
could have existed under the uncertainty of a concealed 
attack. She would rather run the immediate risk at any 
time than have the presentiment of danger constantly 
hovering over her. She was much gratified by the kind 
feeling the people had shown. She said to Lady Bloom- 
field : " I dare say, Georgie, you were surprised at not driv- 
ing with me this afternoon; but the fact was that, as we 
returned from church yesterday, a man presented a pistol 
at the carriage window, which flashed in the pan. We 
were so taken by surprise that he had time to escape, so 
that I knew what was hanging over me, and I was deter- 
mined to expose no life but my own." 

130 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

"I was not at all frightened," she wrote to her uncle, 
"and feel very proud at dear Uncle Mensdorff calling me 
courageous, which I shall ever remember with delight, 
coming from so distinguished an officer as he is." 

Nothing could exceed the indignation of the people, and 
the magnificent reception which the Queen received at the 
Italian Opera, to which she went the same night. The 
audience burst into cheers and called for the national an- 
them. This was only one of the many signs given of the 
love her people felt towards her. 

During the stay of the King of Prussia, who visited the 
Queen in the opening months of 1842, Madame Bunsen 
and her husband were invited to Windsor. 

"I always liked the visit to Windsor," she wrote; "the 
comfortable quiet and independence, in which one could 
spend as much time as one likes of the day in one's com- 
fortable rooms, where I have written letters and read 
books for which I had no time in London. If the 
ladies-in-waiting are agreeable, one could walk or drive 
with them, to go to see the Queen's dogs in their establish- 
ment, or the exquisite poultry yard, or the beautiful dairy- 
house. 

" But I had a favorite haunt on the summit of the slopes, 
and made the particular acquaintance of the Australian 
pines, which were very flourishing, securely sheltered 
from winds by the castle. And the periods of State stiff- 
ness were, after all, restricted within the narrowest imag- 
inable bounds — only from eight to eleven. Such a visit 
was always a rest instead of an extra exertion. 

"Windsor, January 28, 1842. — I was at work till three, 
then came by railway to Windsor, and found that in the 
York Tower a comfortable set of rooms were awaiting me. 
The upper housemaid gave us tea and bread and butter — 
very refreshing. When dressed we went together outside 
our rooms through the corridor, and soon met Lord De la 
Warr, the Duchess of Buccleuch, and Lord and Lady 
Westmorland. The former showed us where to go, that 
is, to walk through the corridor — a fairy scene, lights, 

131 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

pictures, moving figures of courtiers unknown — to apart- 
ments, which we passed through one after another till we 
reached the magnificent ballroom, where the guests were 
assembled to await the Queen's appearance. 

"Among those guests stood our King of Prussia, him- 
self punctual at half-past seven. Soon came Prince Al- 
bert, to whom Lord De la Warr named me, when the Prince 
spoke to me of Rome. We had not been there long before 
two gentlemen, walking in by the same door by which we 
had entered, and then turning and making profound bows 
towards the open door, showed that the Queen was coming. 
She approached me directly, and said, with a gracious 
smile, ' I am very much pleased to see you. ' Then, after 
speaking a few moments to the King, she took his arm and 
moved on. 

" ' God Save the Queen ' began to sound at the same mo- 
ment from the Waterloo Gallery, where the Queen has al- 
ways dined since the King has been with her. Lord Had- 
dington led me to dinner, and one of the King's suite sat 
on the other side. The scene was one of fairy tales of in- 
describable magnificence — the proportions of the hall and 
the mass of light in suspension, the gold plate on the table, 
and the glittering of the thousand lights in branches of a 
proper height not to meet the eye. The King's health was 
drunk, then the Queen's ; then her Majesty rose and went 
out, followed by all the ladies. 

" During the half-hour or less that elapsed before Prince 
Albert, the King, etc., followed the Queen, she did not sit, 
but went round to speak to the different ladies. She asked 
after my children, and gave me an opportunity of thanking 
her for the gracious permission to behold her Majesty so 
soon after my arrival from Germany. The Duchess of 
Kent also spoke to me, and I was very glad of the notice of 
Lady Lyttelton, who is very charming. 

"As soon as the King came, the Queen went into the 
ballroom and made the King dance a quadrille with her, 
which he did with all suitable grace and dignity, though 
he has long ceased to dance. At half-past eleven, after the 

132 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

Queen had retired, I set out on my travels to my bedchamber. 
I might have looked and wandered some miles before I 
found my door of exit, but was helped by an old gentleman 
— I believe Lord Albemarle. [This was a brother of the 
Earl who died only recently, and who as a young man 
fought at Waterloo.] 

"February 3, 1842. — Monday. — Dined at Stafford House 
where we were received with the greatest kindness. I was 
presented to the Duchess of Gloucester, who called me ' the 
daughter of her old friend Mrs. Waddington.' Being 
taken to dinner by Lord John Russell, I found him a most 
agreeable neighbor. He is one of the persons with whom 
I got directly out of emptiness of phrases. 

" Stafford House was beautiful, the staircase especially. 
A fine band played the whole evening, concluding with a 
composition of Prince Radziwill [a Prussian prince of Polish 
family, close friends of the German Emperor, William I.]. 

"The Duke of Sussex and the Duchess of Inverness 
spoke to me and asked me to their luncheon the next day, 
given to the King of Prussia. On Tuesday the way to 
Kensington Palace was lined by school-children with flags, 
and crowds of people. The Duke of Sussex received me, 
and brought me into the library to the Duchess of Glouces- 
ter and Princess Sophia [daughter of George III.], who 
spoke most kindly and made me sit between them. When 
they rose to speak to somebody else I slipped away, and 
got to a modest distance. At dinner I sat between Alex- 
ander Humboldt [the famous traveller] and Lord Palmers- 
ton, whom I also found very ready to talk. 

"The King's visit to Lambeth on Wednesday was, per- 
haps, one of the most suitable and one of the most agree- 
able to him of any he has made, from the magnificence of 
the building, the historical associations, and the admirable 
choice of the company — bishops and clergy and a few be- 
sides; no ladies but Mrs. Blomfield and one other. The 
King enjoyed himself, and sat for some time afterwards 
talking to the Archbishop. He asked Lord Ashley to 
come and visit him at Berlin." 

133 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Letters from Mendelssohn describe a visit paid, by the 
Queen's command, to Buckingham Palace, where, in a 
room facing the garden, and adjoining a set of apartments 
where Prince Albert collected a fine library, the great mu- 
sician played on an organ which still remains where the 
Prince placed it. 

"I found the Prince alone," wrote Mendelssohn, " and 
then the Queen came in, also alone, in a simple morning 
dress. I begged that the Prince would first play me some- 
thing, so that, as I said, ' I might boast about it in Germany. ' 
He played a chorale by Hertz, with the pedals, so chann- 
ingly and clearly and correctly as would have done credit 
to any professional. Then it was my turn, and I began 
my chorus from 'St. Paul,' 'How lovely are the messen- 
gers.' Before I got to the end of the first verse they both 
joined in the chorus, and all the time Prince Albert man- 
aged the stops for me so cleverly — first a flute at the forte, 
the great organ at the D major part of the whole, then he 
made a lovely diminuendo with the stops, and so on to the 
end of the piece, and all by heart — that I was really quite en- 
chanted. The Queen asked if I had WTitten any new songs, 
and said she was very fond of singing my published ones. 
'You should sing one to him,' said Prince Albert; and, 
after a little begging, she said she would try the ' Friihling's 
Lied' in B fiat. 'If it is still here,' she added, 'for all my 
music is packed up for Claremont.' Prince Albert went 
to look for it, and came back saying it was already packed. 
The servants were sent after it without success. At last the 
Queen went herself, and while she was gone Prince Albert 
said to me, ' She begs you will accept this present as a re- 
membrance,' and gave me a little case with a beautiful 
ring on which is engraved 'V. R. 1842.' 

" The Queen came back and said, ' Lady has gone, 

and has taken all my things with her. It really is most 
annoying.' I then begged that I might not be made to suf- 
fer for the accident, and hoped she would sing another 
song. After some consultation with her husband, he said, 
' She will sing you something of Gliick's.' We proceeded to 

134 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

the Queen's sitting-room, where there was a piano. The 
Duchess of Kent came in, and, while they were all talking, 
I rummaged about among the music, and soon discovered 
my first set of songs, so, of course, I begged her rather to 
sing one of those than the Gliick, to which she kindly con- 
sented. And which should she choose? 'Schoner und 
Schoner Schmiickt sich.' Sang it quite charmingly, in 
strict time and tune, and with very good execution. The 
last G I never heard better or purer, or more natural, from 
any amateur. Then I was obliged to confess that Fanny 
had written the song, which I found very hard — but pride 
must have a fall — and begged her to sing one of my own 
also. If I would give her plenty of help she would gladly 
try, she said ; and then she sang the ' Pilger's Spruch ' and 
' Lass dich Nur,' really quite faultlessly and with charming 
feeling and expression. I thought to myself one must not 
pay too many compliments on such an occasion, so that I 
merely thanked her a great many times, upon which she 
said, 'Oh! if I only had not been so frightened. Generally 
I have such long breath.' Then I praised her heartily, 
and with the best conscience in the world. Just that part 
with the long G at the close she had done so well, taking 
the three following and connecting notes in the same breath 
as one seldom hears it done, and therefore it amused me 
doubly that she herself should have begun about it. 

" After this. Prince Albert sang another song, and then 
he said I must play him something before I went, and gave 
me as themes the chorale which he had played on the organ, 
and the song which he had just sung. If everything had 
gone as usual I ought to have improvised most dreadfully 
badly, for it is almost always like that with me when I want 
it to go well, and then I should have gone away vexed the 
whole morning. But just as if I were to keep nothing but the 
pleasantest, most channing recollections of it, I never im- 
provised better. I was in the best mood for it, and enjoyed 
it myself, so that between the two themes I brought in the 
two songs which the Queen had sung naturally enough. 
It went off so easily that I would gladly not have stopped. 

135 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

They followed me with so much intelligence and attention 
that I felt more at ease than I ever did in improvising to an 
audience. She said several times she hoped I would soon 
come to England again and pay them a visit. And then 
I took my leave." 

It was often alleged that the Queen and the Prince were 
too fond of encouraging foreign artists at the expense of 
English, but there was no artist of whom more was seen at 
Court than the English Landseer, from whom sketches in 
chalk and pencil, as well as oil pictures, from the subject 
of the little marmoset monkeys, peering over a pine-apple, 
to his large canvases, such as that of the " Deer Drive in 
the Black Mount Forest of Argyleshire, " were in con- 
stant demand ; for the Queen, whose guest he often was, 
was a great admirer of his genius. Maclise, Stanfield, 
Eastlake, and many more were also among the artists 
of British birth whom she delighted to honor. But it 
was fully seen that for some phases of art it was not nec- 
essary to keep only to the native school, and that it was 
best to introduce to the knowledge of the island public 
the delightful art of some who had been born abroad. 
Faithfulness of portraiture, such as that shown by Win- 
terhalter, w^as often, in his case, united to a certain stiff- 
ness of attitude and hardness of painting. And it must 
be confessed that, with the exception of Wilkie, the early 
Victorian age was as poor in great portrait-painters as it 
was in the exhibition of other forms of taste. 

The pleasures of watching artistic effort and the delights 
of country life were all the more prized for the comparatively 
short time that could be given to them from the absorbing 
occupations of state. The government was not without 
very considerable anxiety in regard to public matters. It 
was with difficulty that work could be found for the large 
number of unemployed. There were universal complaints 
of the lowness of wages, while food remained at a high 
price. The people, even at that time, became more and 
more concentrated in great manufacturing districts, where 
there was much poverty and distress. 

136 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

The Court did what it could to encourage trade. A great 
ball was given under its patronage at Covent Garden 
Theatre for the relief of the weavers of Spitalfields, and a 
costume ball at Buckingham Palace, of which the Prince 
wrote: "We have organized it with a view of helping 
trade in London, which is greatly depressed. We are to 
represent Edward III. and Queen Philippa, and the whole 
Court is to appear in the Court dress of that period. The 
Duchess of Cambridge is to head a procession of one hun- 
dred and twenty persons, intended to represent France, 
Italy, and Spain." 

Theological questions caused much stir in the early 
forties. Perhaps it may be objected here that my readers 
do not care about theological questions at all, and that they 
had better not be touched upon in such a sketch as the 
present. Still, we must stop for a moment to consider the 
public relations of the Church to the State. 

In most of the Protestant States of Germany the office 
of the King, or ruler, is intimately connected with the main- 
tenance of religion, and the appointments of the spiritual 
leaders to Church preferment have to be confirmed by him. 
In Russia the head of the State is also the arch-priest. The 
Reformation was not the first time that freedom from the 
doininion of Rome had been claimed in the British Isles and 
the independence of the National Church asserted, for in 
Ireland and the west of Scotland, in the ancient days, the 
independence of a National Church was asserted by the 
observation of different times for the celebration of Easter. 

It was, in fact, only by gradual stages that the Papal ju- 
risdiction was established in Great Britain. Students of 
ecclesiastical history will remember the opposition at first 
offered to St. Augustine, when he wished to impose the 
Roman use upon the British bishops. It was not until the 
Middle Ages were well advanced that submission was 
really secured. 

The Culdee Church declared that it derived through St. 
John, and not through St. Peter; but it is doubtful whether 
at the Reformation any one remembered such ancient his- 

137 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

tory. They desired to be free from those abuses which in 
their judgment had become unbearable, and they turned 
to their Hege lord to insure them the spiritual freedom which 
in their judgment had become a necessity. 

At the union of the crowns of England and of Scotland, 
the feeling prevailed that spiritual freedom was best as- 
serted by formally claiming protection from the King for 
the religion best liked in each country. His countenance 
means the countenance of law for the form of Church gov- 
ernment the people love. The invocation of his power 
is only an expression of the wish that the State should 
be sanctified by religion, without which the grace of God 
will not descend upon the realm. 

The Queen, when living at Balmoral, or when visiting in 
Scotland, always attended Divine service performed in the 
Established Church of the country of her Scottish ances- 
tors, and she also participated in the Communion with the 
people around her. 

At Crathie, on the opposite side of the river, in the valley 
in which the Castle of Balmoral is situated, there is a church, 
in the building and architecture of which the Queen interest- 
ed herself greatly. It succeeded an ugly fabric, which, like 
too many structures in Scotland, had apparently been 
designed to make the house of God a reproach for ugliness. 
It had seemed of old to the Scottish people, as to many in 
England, that the best way of showing their dislike to the 
Roman Catholic faith had been not only to destroy the 
beautiful buildings scattered throughout the country, but 
to raise for themselves barn-like squares of stone. They 
seemed to think that these would protect them against error, 
and that by shutting out the beauties of nature around 
them they would be able the more easily to devote their 
thoughts to the Creator, who had put beauty himself into 
almost everything He made. 

It was a joy to her to see that these mistakes were slowly 
losing their influence, and that her northern subjects were 
gradually becoming of the opinion that a place of worship 
should be raised with more care and reverent piety than 

138 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

they had bestowed upon their homesteads or their byres. 
Nor did she fail to ask the men who were distinguished by 
their eloquence and conduct to come to minister and preach 
at Crathie. It is too early to speak of those among her 
chaplains who are still in the land of the living, but I may 
allude to one who, always wise in advice, cheery and joyous 
in manner, and most eloquent in the pulpit, afforded her 
society she knew how to value. This was Norman McLeod, 
whose comparatively early death was afterwards a great 
grief to her. 

It is more widely known with what reverent respect and 
affection she enjoyed the company of those great dignitaries 
of the English Church who, by the advice of her ministers, 
she nominated to their sees or to their deaneries. She 
spoke to the last with the greatest delight of her recollec- 
tions of many of those who had gone before her. At the 
commencement of her life and until middle age, on cere- 
monial occasions, the archbishops used to wear their wigs, 
as well as the rochet with lawn sleeves which now distin- 
guishes their attire, when engaged in the public discharge 
of their office. 

Referring to this period. Sir Theodore Martin has dwelt 
on the care with which the Prince regulated his conduct, 
and says : " The Prince knew, as General Grey said, that 
no shadow of a shade of suspicion should ever by any pos- 
sibility attach to his own conduct. It must be absolutely 
free from reproach. It was his duty to lay down severe 
rules for his own guidance, involving restraint and self- 
denial. He denied himself the pleasure of walking at will 
about London. Wherever he went, whether in a carriage 
or on horseback, he was accompanied by his equerry. He 
paid no visits in general society. His visits w^ere to the 
studios of the artists, to museums of art or science, to in- 
stitutions for benevolent purposes. Scandal itself could 
take no liberty with his name. He would frequently return 
to luncheon, the Queen says, at a great pace on horseback, 
and would always go to the Queen's dressing-room, where 
she generally was at that time, with that bright, loving 

139 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

smile with which he ever greeted her, telHng where he had 
been, what new buildings he had seen, what studios he 
had visited. She was anxious to prevent his being be- 
sieged, when in London, by many unnecessary people. 
' His health is so invaluable, not only to me, to w^hom he 
is more than all in all, but to this whole country, that we 
must do our duty and manage that he is not overwhelmed 
with people.' " 

The quantity of red tape which hedged in all the arrange- 
ments with reference to the duties of the household officers 
was one of the worries of the time. Needless multiplication 
of the details of their duties led to confusion and extrava- 
gance. To make more simple the whole organization of 
the service of the palace was not a very light task, but one 
that the Prince undertook with a thoroughness and com- 
mand of detail for which he was remarkable. When the 
Queen was unable to discharge any public or state function 
he took her place. 

In 1842 the Queen paid her first visit to Scotland, em- 
barking on August 29th from Woolwich, in the Royal 
George yacht. She was accompanied by Prince Albert, 
with the Duchess of Norfolk and Lord Morton in waiting. 

They landed at Granton Pier on September 1st, and pro- 
ceeded to Dalkeith Palace, where they were entertained 
for some days by the Duke of Buccleuch. Two days later 
the Queen entered Edinburgh in state, the procession being 
a very striking one. The castle was viewed in detail, and 
the chief points of interest in the Scottish capital were duly 
visited. The Queen was greatly interested in the Scottish 
crown jewels. 

Leaving Edinburgh, the royal party proceeded to Dal- 
meny Park, where they were entertained by the then Earl 
of Rosebery. On the 5th a levee was held by the Queen at 
Dalkeith Palace, when numerous loyal addresses were pre- 
sented. 

On the following day Dupplin Castle was visited, and 
subsequently the Queen drove into Perth. She dined and 
slept at Scone Palace. 

140 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

Brief visits were next paid to Dunkeld, Taymouth Cas- 
tle, where the Prince had some deer-stalking, Loch Tay, 
and Auchmore, from which place the Queen drove to 
Crieff, passing on the way by Killin, Glen Ogle, Loch 
Earn, St. Fillans, and Comrie. Drummond Castle was 
reached in the evening, where the royal party were received 
by Lord and Lady Willoughby d'Eresby. 

After passing through Stirling and Falkirk they re- 
turned to Dalkeith Palace, whence the Queen visited Ros- 
lin and Hawthornden. 

Altogether a fortnight was thus spent, and on Septem- 
ber 15th the Queen quitted her Scottish dominions and 
voyaged in the Trident back to Woolwich. 

In after years many other visits were paid to various 
parts of Scotland, and some of the Queen's impressions 
will be given later. 

Princess Alice was born in 1843. "Albert," the Queen 
says, "has been, as usual, all kindness and goodness. 
Our little baby is to be called Alice, an old English name, 
and the other names are to be Maud, another old English 
name (the same as Matilda), and Mary, as she was bom 
on Aunt Gloucester's birthday. Her sponsors are to be 
the King of Hanover, Ernest [Duke of Coburg], poor Prin- 
cess Sophia Matilda, and Feodore." 

"The ceremony went off very brilliantly," wrote the 
Queen on June 6th, " and little Alice behaved extremely 
well." 

In 1843 occurred what is called in Scotland " The Dis- 
ruption." One might imagine that expression to refer to 
the renewed activity of some ancient volcano, causing 
some well-known resort to split with fatal chasms. But 
the word recalls a split in the National Established Pres- 
byterian Church, on what was called "the question of in- 
trusion." Here, again, one must explain that intrusion 
meant that the patron of a living should no longer exer- 
cise his ancient right of presentation of a minister to a 
congregation. They desired to choose for themselves; 
or, rather, through a delegated committee. Some patrons 

141 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

had a great number of livings to which they had the right 
of presentation. For instance, the Duke of Argyll had 
thirty- four. The right was seldom exercised without 
taking the sense of the congregation. There had during 
the century been only one case where the congregation had 
selected a man the Duke knew to be unfit, and he had there- 
fore vetoed his appointment. But there were instances 
in which the patronage exercised by the lay patron had been 
less tactfully used. 

The people liked to have a pulpit competition among 
aspiring preachers, and to give the palm themselves to the 
one who "made a graaand appeeerance. " A "leet" (an 
old Saxon word meaning, in this case, a few sample speci- 
mens of young clergy) came and preached, and, according 
to their eloquence and the good report of them, one was 
chosen. This had been the practical habit in most cases, 
but not in all ; and, as one case is enough to form a " test 
case," it was easy to have the delights of litigation, plus 
the full use of Old Testament language of a doubtful kind, 
in discussing a test case that went in favor of the ancient 
right. The Established Church Assembly had them- 
selves begun the fight ten years before, when they said 
that the congregation ought to have a veto against any 
clergyman presented. In short, the Assembly began the 
course which logically must lead to the choice of ministers 
by the people, for these could go on vetoing any nmnber 
of persons, until presentation should become a farce. When 
in 1844 the matter had ripened by more "cases," a great 
number of the Assembly, as the governing body of the 
Presbyterian Church is called, resolved to secede. They 
hated to do what must break up the Church of their fa- 
thers, but they could not hesitate. "The Disruption" 
took place, and the excitement throughout Scotland was 
tremendous. 

So inflamed were party passions, that I remember hear- 
ing a minister, beloved in his parish, and one of the most 
excellent of men, recount how, when he had determined to 
remain in "the establishment," his own parishioners, 

142 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

most of whom he had known all his days, turned from him 
as he walked to church, or spat at him, and hissed him! 
If it required moral courage to leave the fold, it required, 
in many instances, as much to remain. Many of the most 
eloquent of the ministers joined the new "Free Church." 
Guthrie, whose grand voice, great pathos, and fine oratory 
in the pulpit, rang in the ears of his Edinburgh congrega- 
tion until very lately, was young among them. Chalmers 
was their most able and zealous leader, a man whom all 
must admire, and very many loved. 

There were riots in Ross-shire when new clergy were 
put into the churches vacated by the secessionists; but, 
considering the excitement in the country, the public 
peace was well kept. The more extreme form of Calvin- 
istic practice still prevails in the districts which were then 
disorderly. Elsewhere a more reasonable and joyous 
spirit has spread among the people. My grandfather, 
when an officer quartered at Edinburgh, was one Sunday 
afternoon leaning out of his barrack window and whistling 
a tune. A woman, passing in the street below, looked up 
at him, as he was thus innocently enjoying himself, and 
startled him by crying out, in a tone of agonized horror, 
"Ah, you reprobate!" The woman was no maniac, but 
an ordinary specimen of a large class who, until lately, 
have thought that anything but a morose and melancholy 
idleness was an improper attitude for the Lord's Day. The 
healthy exercise of muscle and lung, the enjoyment of 
boating, or walking in the country — anything, in short, 
which made man or woman rejoice in the gifts their God 
had given, was condemned. To shut one's self up in the 
house was the only occupation for a " decent body " ; and 
to look, even to the members of the family, as though one 
had lost the nearest and dearest, was the tribute supposed 
to be demanded by a gracious God. This insanity still 
most injuriously affects some parts of Scotland; but a 
cleanlier, healthier, and happier existence is now the rule 
on Sunday, while the work imposed by Continental license 
on man and beast is happily avoided. 

143 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

In one country of the European Continent the clergy had 
been a chief cause of the downfall of a king. The Church 
in France could have no part in the Revolution. The 
excesses of that time, the anarchy and denial of God, pro- 
duced in them a horror that caused their policy to favor a 
more absolute form of government than was possible unless 
the sovereign had the "prestige" of great military suc- 
cesses. This Charles X. had not. " Legitimist " in feeling 
— that is, believing in his divine right of kingship — he at- 
tempted, unwisely, to bring back too soon the methods with- 
out the abuses of the old monarchical rule, interrupted 
by the Revolution and the Empire of the great Napoleon. 
He failed, and, happily escaping to England without being 
injured, he was hospitably received, and was given the 
rooms at Holyrood Palace which were afterwards occupied 
by the Queen during her visits to Edinburgh. They were 
the set belonging to the hereditary Master of the House- 
hold, the Duke of Argyll, whose familj^ succeeded the 
Stewart family in the of&ce when the last became sovereign. 
But while the King of France was being lodged in the old 
palace of his Stewart relatives in Scotland, a proceeding 
took place, under the cognizance of the great powers, which 
must have seemed to him as subversive of all proper au- 
thority as the Revolution itself. For one of the Bourbons, 
the son of that "Philippe Egalit6" who had been half a 
Revolutionist, by name Louis Philippe, was invited to 
occupy the throne, and accepted the mission. He had, 
during his previous wanderings, been often in the greatest 
straits for money. He had been a school - master ; he 
had had to pinch and starve to make the few francs he 
gained support his somewhat unwieldy body. Prince 
Albert was related, though distantly, to the Bourbons. 

In 1843 peace had been procured, and the King of the 
French, as he was styled, thought that a visit from Queen 
Victoria would be at once pleasant and serviceable to him- 
self. So two of his agreeable sons were commissioned to 
convey the invitation to Windsor, with the result that she 
paid a short visit to the King at the Chateau d'Eu. 

144 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

The Queen and Prince embarked at Southampton, and, 
after visiting one or two English ports — at one of which it 
is recorded that the Mayor, who was about to present an 
address, managed to tumble into the water, out of which 
he was fished too wet " to present either himself or the ad- 
dress" — they found, on crossing the Channel, that the 
French King had come off in his barge to meet them. 

The Queen wrote : " I felt, as it came nearer and nearer, 
more and more agitated. At length it came close. It 
contained the King, Aumale, Montpensier, Augustus [a 
first cousin of the Queen, who had married Princess Cle- 
mentine of Orleans], M. Guizot, [the Prime Minister of 
France], Lord Cowley, and various officers and ministers. 
The good, kind King was standing on the boat, and so 
impatient to get out that it was very difficult to prevent 
him, and to get him to wait till the boat was close enough. 
He came as quickly as possible, and embraced me warmly. 
The King expressed again and again how delighted he 
was to see me. His barge is a very fine one, with many 
oars, and the men were in white, with red sashes, and red 
ribbons round their hats. 

" The landing was a fine sight, which the beauty of the 
evening and the setting sun enhanced. Crowds of people, 
all so different from ours, numbers of troops, also different 
from our troops, the whole Court, and all the authorities, 
were assembled on the shore. The King led me up a some- 
what steepish staircase, where the Queen received me with 
the kindest welcome, accompanied by dearest Louise [Queen 
of the Belgians], Helene [the Duchess of Orleans], in deep 
mourning, Frangoise [Princess of Joinville], and Madame 
Adelaide. All this — the cheering of the people and of the 
troops crying, 'Vive la Reine! Vive le Roi!' — well-nigh 
overcame me. The King repeated again and again to me 
how happy he was at the visit, and how attached he was 
to my father and to England." 

The Queen said she was " delighted at being in the midst 
of this admirable and truly amiable family," where, she 
added, " we are quite at home, as if we were one of them. 

145 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

On Sunday," she says, "I rose at half-past seven. I felt 
as though it were a dream that I was at Eu, and that my 
favorite air-castle for so many years was at length realized. 
But it is no dream, it is a pleasant reality. The distant 
ringing of the church bells, much prettier than ours, is the 
only thing to remind me of Sunday, for the mill is going, 
and the people are sweeping and working in the garden. 
The chateau is very pretty. They are all so kind and so 
delightful, so united, that it does one's heart good to see 
this family. At half-past ten the King and Queen and all 
of them took us to breakfast. The King has such spirits, 
and is full of anecdote. After breakfast we went up-stairs 
into the Galerie des Guises. At half-past two the King 
and Queen came to fetch us, and took us over the greater 
part of the chateau. The number of family pictures is 
quite enormous. The little chapel is beautiful, and full 
of painted windows and statues of saints. It is the first 
Roman Catholic chapel I have seen. The rooms of the 
Queen, including a little cabinet de toilette, are charming. 

" The people are very respectable looking and very civil, 
crying, 'Vive la Reine d Angleterre. ' The King is so 
pleased. The caps of the women are very picturesque, 
and they wear also colored handkerchiefs and aprons 
which look very pretty. 

"Monday, September 4th. — Up at half -past seven; 
breakfasted at eight o'clock. Good news from the children. 
The band of the Light Infantry, 24th Regiment, played 
under my window extremely well; they are fifty-five in 
number. At half -past ten the King and family came 
to fetch us to their delightfully cheerful breakfast. I 
feel so gay and happy with these dear people. Later we 
saw M. Guizot, who came to express his great joy at our 
visit. It seems to have done the greatest good, and to 
have caused the greatest satisfaction to the French. I 
hear that I should have been most kindly received at Paris 
even. The French naval of&cers give this evening a ban- 
quet on board the Pluton to our naval officers, and I trust 
that the hatred for the ' perfidious English ' will cease. 

146 




THE QUEEN IN 1S42 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

"During an excursion to an open-air f^te I sat between 
the King and the Queen. The King's HveHness and vi- 
vacity, and httle impatiences, are my dehght and amuse- 
ment. We returned at a quarter to six. I feel very gay 
and amused. At dinner the King told me that the French 
officers had a dinner at which my health had been drunk 
with great enthusiasm, ' which isn't so bad on the part of 
French soldiers,' he added; and he repeated again and 
again his wish to become more closely allied with the Eng- 
lish, which would be the sure means of preventing war 
in Europe, and that love for the English was in his blood. 

"After dinner there was very fine music by the artists 
of the Conservatoire. They played beautifully, particu- 
larly Beethoven's symphonies. 

"Tuesday, September 5th. — Albert got up at half-past 
six in order to go and see the carabineers with Aumale. 
After breakfast, and before we went to our rooms, the King 
took us down-stairs, where he gave us two splendid pieces 
of Gobelins, which have been thirty years in hand [these 
pieces of tapestry the Queen ever afterwards kept at Wind- 
sor, in the oak dining-room, where she usually dined], and 
a beautiful box of Sevres china. The dear, excellent 
Queen so kindly said that she had always had un sentiment 
maternel pour moi, but that this had increased since she 
knew me. 

"Wednesday, September 6th. — I was up before eight 
o'clock. The band again played under my window, as yes- 
terday. At breakfast I sat between the King and Aumale. 
We were much amused at the King's ordering, at this late 
hour, everything to be ready for a dejeuner in the forest. 
We went off with a whole company in char-a-bancs at two 
o'clock, Albert sitting in front with the King, and I with 
the Queen, for whom I feel a filial affection. We arrived at 
Saint-Catherine. After walking about for some little time 
in the garden, we sat down to a dejeuner under the trees. 
It was so pretty, so merry. We came home, the evening 
lovely, at half-past six. After dinner we went into the 
Galerie, which is fitted as a little theatre. A stage and or- 

147 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

chestra was perfectly arranged. We were all seated in 
rows of chairs one above the other. The first piece was 
'Le Chateau de ma Niece/ the second 'L'Humoriste/ in 
which Arnal sent us into fits of laughter. 

" Thursday. — Quarter to six I got up, heavy-hearted at 
the thought that we must leave this dear family. We em- 
barked in the King's fine barge; the King and Queen and 
all the princesses and the Admiral were with us. The 
princesses and suite and King's gentlemen and ministers 
all followed us on board. We were obliged to take leave. 
The dear Queen said yesterday, in speaking of the chil- 
dren, ' I recommend them to you, madame, when we shall 
be no longer here, and also to Prince Albert. May you 
protect them; they are heartfelt friends.' 

"We stood on the side of the paddle-box and waited to 
see them pass by in a small steamer. The King waved 
his hand, and called out 'Adieu!' We set ojff before nine 
o'clock. At half -past three we got into the barge off 
Brighton with Joinville, the ladies, and Lord Aberdeen. 
When we arrived at the Pavilion, we took Joinville up- 
stairs with us, and he was very much struck with the 
strangeness of the building." 

The old royal yachts, the Fairy and the Victoria 
and Albert, were very small vessels as compared with 
the large steamers that are now so often used, and 
these again suffer in comparison with such splendid 
vessels as the HohenzoUern, belonging to his Majesty 
the German Emperor, where sixty can easily dine in 
the saloon. But the most antique-looking of all was 
one called the Royal George yacht, which was built in 
imitation of a full-rigged frigate. It was dangerously 
small for any heavy sea. 

The Queen and Prince Albert also paid a visit to the 
King of the Belgians, and their reception left nothing to be 
desired. A State visit to Cambridge made the Queen ac- 
quainted, for the first time, with the marvels of creation 
collected in the museum in the shape of gigantic animals 
preserved to us in the rocks. 

148 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

Sedgwick says: "The Queen was quite happy, and 
mightily taken with one or two of my monsters, especially 
with the plesiosaurus and gigantic stag. The subject was 
new to her, but the Prince evidently had a good general 
knowledge of the old world, and the Queen liked to hear her 
husband talk about a novel subject with so much knowledge 
and spirit. A fine head of an ichthyosaurus had arrived, 
and I was unpacking it. The Queen asked what it was. 
I told her as plainly as I could. She then asked whence it 
came, and I said I did not know the exact place, but I be- 
Ueved it came as a delegate from the monsters of the lower 
world to greet her arrival at the University." 

In London they were occupied in the building of a new 
chapel at Buckingham Palace, and in giving constant in- 
terviews, audiences, and dinners to distinguished men at 
home and to foreign guests from abroad. 

The Duke of Sussex, the Queen's oldest friend among 
her relations, died just as Princess Alice was born. He had 
married Lady Augusta Murray, when only twenty-one 
years of age, at Rome in 1793. This marriage was con- 
trary to the provisions of the Royal Marriage Act of 12th 
George III., which enacted that no descendant of George 
II., other than the issue of princes married into foreign 
countries, was capable of contracting matrimony without 
the previous consent of the King, signified under the 
Great Seal ; but, on condition that his union should not be 
disturbed, the Prince proposed to resign whatever claims 
he might possess as a member of the royal family. 

No sooner, however, was the alliance publicly known 
than the matter was taken up by government, proceedings 
were instituted in the Ecclesiastical Courts, and the mar- 
riage pronounced null and void. The Duke was made a 
peer when twenty-nine years of age, and given soon after- 
wards ;^2i,ooo a year. He declared in favor of a reform in 
Parliament, of repeal of the penal laws against Roman 
Catholics, the diminution of public expenditure, and new 
principles of freedom in trade. His speeches upon the 
regency question in 1810-I1 excited much attention. 

149 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

On the question of repealing the Tests and Corporation 
Acts in 1828, the Duke displayed his liberal sentiments, 
demanding liberty of conscience. Strongly in favor of 
Parliamentary reform, he said: "I always was a re- 
former, I am a reformer, and I always shall be a reformer 
until this bill, or some other measure of equal efficiency, 
be passed." He was constantly presiding at dinners of 
public charities, and was a very good after-dinner speaker. 

Early in 1844 the Prince Consort's father died, and the 
Prince had to leave the Queen for the first time, and felt 
the separation greatly. He returned in April. " I arrived 
at six o'clock in the evening at Windsor," he says. " Great 
joyi' 

They received the Emperor Nicholas of Russia at Wind- 
sor. "A great event, and a great compliment, his visit 
certainly is," the Queen wrote. "The people here are ex- 
tremely flattered at it. He is certainly a very striking man, 
still very handsome. His profile is beautiful, and his man- 
ners most dignified and graceful; extremely civil. The ex- 
pression of the eyes is severe, and unlike anything I ever 
saw before. He gives Albert and myself the impression 
of a man who is not happy, and on whom the burden of 
his immense power and position weighs heavily and pain- 
fully. He seldom smiles; and when he does, the expres- 
sion is not a happy one. He is very easy to get on with. 
Both the Emperor and the King of Saxony are quite en- 
chanted with Windsor. The Emperor said, very politely, 
' It is worthy of you, madam. ' The Emperor praised my 
Albert very much, saying, ' It is impossible to see a better- 
looldng man. He has so noble and so good an air.' He 
amused the King of Saxony and me by saying he was so 
embarrassed when people were presented to him, as he felt 
so awkward in a frock-coat, which he is certainly not ac- 
customed to wear. Military uniform had become so 
habitual to him, and without it he said he felt as if one had 
skinned him. The review on June 5th was really very in- 
teresting, and our reception, as well as that of the Emperor, 
most enthusiastic. The Emperor asked my leave to ride 

150 




THE QUEEN IN I843 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

down the line. When he came back he thanked me warmly 
for having allowed him to see his ' old comrades. ' 

" On the 6th we went with the Emperor and King to the 
races, and I never saw such a crowd. Here again the re- 
ception was most brilliant. Every evening a large din- 
ner in the Waterloo Room, on the last two evenings in 
uniform, as the Emperor disliked so being in evening 
dress, and was quite embarrassed in it. 

"On the 7th we brought him and the King back here, 
and in the evening had a party of about two hundred and 
sixty. On his return from the fete at Chiswick, on the 
morning of the 8th, the Emperor talked of it at dinner with 
delight ; how brilliant it had been, of the great numbers of 
beautiful women present. He had seen Lord Melbourne 
there, and when I spoke of Lord Melbourne, and of the 
respect he entertained for the Emperor, he replied by ex- 
pressing his great esteem for Lord Melbourne, adding, ' All 
who serve your Majesty well are dear to me. ' As he led 
me from the dining-room, he said, 'It is unfortunately 
the last evening that I can enjoy the kindness of your 
Majesty, but the recollection will be eternally graven on 
my heart. I shall probably not see you again ' ; to which 
I replied he could easily come here again. He said, ' You 
do not know how difficult it is for us to do such things, 
but I commend my children to you.' He said this sadly. 

" In the evening of the 8th we went to the opera, not in 
State, but they recognized us. We were most brilliantly 
received. I had to force the Emperor forward, as he never 
would come forward when I was there, and I was obliged 
to take him by the hand and make him appear. It was 
impossible to be more respectful than he was towards me. 
On Sunday afternoon he left us. Albert accompanied him 
to Woolwich. He was much affected at going, and really 
unaffectedly touched at his reception and stay, the sim- 
plicity and quietness of which told upon his love of do- 
mestic life, which is very great. On the morning he was 
to leave he expressed his gratitude to us in very warm 
terms, and said, ' I leave with sentiments of the most pro- 

151 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

found devotion to your Majesty, and to him ' (taking 
Albert's hand) 'who has been Hke a brother to me.' At 
a httle before five o'clock we went down to wait in the 
small drawing-room with the children. Not long after, 
the Emperor came in and spoke to them, and then, with 
a sigh and with much emotion, which took all the harsh- 
ness of his countenance away, he said, ' I take my de- 
parture from here, madam, with a full heart. I am touch- 
ed by your kindnesses to me. You may be sure, madam, 
that you may count upon me at all times as your most 
devoted servant. May God bless you.' And again he 
kissed my hand and pressed it, and I kissed him [it is the 
custom between sovereigns to salute each other at the 
commencement and conclusion of such a State visit]. He 
kissed the children most affectionately, saying, ' May God 
bless them for your happiness.' 

"He wanted me not to go farther with him, saying, 
' I beseech you, do not accompany me farther ' ; but, of 
course, I would not consent, and took his arm to go to the 
hall. At the top of a few steps leading to the lower hall, 
he again took most kindly leave. When I saw him at the 
door I went down the steps, and, from the carriage, he 
begged I would not stand there ; but I did, and saw him 
drive off with Albert for Woolwich." 

"1 will now," the Queen wrote to King Leopold, "give 
you my opinions and feelings on the subject. I was ex- 
tremely against the visit, fearing the constraint and bus- 
tle, and even, at first, I did not feel at all to like it ; but by 
living in the same house together, quietly and unrestrain- 
edly (and this Albert, with great truth, says is the great 
advantage of these visits, for I not only see these great 
people, but know them), I got to know the Emperor, and 
he to know me. 

"There is much about him which I cannot help liking, 
and I think his character is one which should be under- 
stood and looked upon for once as it is. He is stern and 
severe, with strict principles of duty, which nothing on 
earth will make him change. Very clever I do not think 

152 



EARLY MARRIED LIFE 

him, and his mind is not a cultivated one. His educa- 
tion has been neglected; politics and military concerns 
are the only things he takes great interest in. The arts, 
and all the softer occupations, he does not care for. But 
he is sincere, I am certain — sincere even in his most des- 
potic acts, from a sense that it is the only way to govern. 
He is not, I am sure, aware of the dreadful cases of indi- 
vidual misery which he so often causes, for I can see, by 
various instances, that he is kept in much ignorance of 
many things which his people carry out in most corrupt 
ways, while he thinks he is extremely just. He thinks of 
general measures, but does not look into details, and I am 
sure much never reaches his ears. As you observe, how 
can it? He asked for nothing whatever, and merely ex- 
pressed his great anxiety to be on the best of terms with 
us, but not to the exclusion of others; only let things re- 
main as they are." 

All were most anxious to do the Emperor honor, and 
the Duke of Wellington, at the review, finding that the 
people began cheering himself instead of reserving their 
applause for their guest, rode along the front of the crowd, 
saying to them most earnestly, "Please do not cheer for 
me; cheer for the Emperor. " When his Majesty left Eng- 
land in the little Black Eagle steamer, one of the sailors 
was seen to be conveying a large bundle of straw on board. 
This turned out to be a quantity of fresh litter, on which it 
was said the Emperor preferred to sleep, leaving his fol- 
lowers to use the beds. 



CHAPTER V 
EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

It is curious that a war of the last year of the century 
(if 1900 can be called the last) began much as the war 
did in 1845 with the Sikhs. In both cases the British be- 
lieved negotiations to be possibly fruitful, and hoping 
against hope for peace, did not bring sufficient troops on 
to the ground to prevent the enemy from obtaining an 
initial advantage. The annexation of the country of the 
Sikhs, called the Punjaub, was the final result of the bat- 
tles that began with Moodkee and Ferozeshah, and fin- 
ished with Aliwal and Sobraon, and Chillianwallah and 
Goojerat, a series of tremendous fights, which had best be 
considered together, for the result has been that the whole 
of northwestern India, up to the line of the mountain bar- 
riers, has been brought under British rule. The regions 
annexed are the homes of the most warlike of the Indian 
races, and these peoples have, ever since their brave re- 
sistance ceased, become the most trusted and the most 
trustworthy among the gallant defenders of British power 
in the East. The wars that were waged to such good 
effect began with the encouragement the British dis- 
asters at Cabul gave to the Ameers of Scinde, and they 
were brought to reason by the famous Sir Charles Napier. 
They had an army of Beloochees, and lost all their artil- 
lery at Meeanee. The Governor-General, Lord Ellenbor- 
ough, was thought at home to have been harsh, and the 
East India Company recalled him, and sent out Sir Henry 
Hardinge. 

In 1845 a more formidable host than that of the Beloo- 
chees had to be met. It was not believed that they in- 

154 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

tended war. The River Sutlej was the boundary between 
them and us. Inspired, probably, by the counsels of 
French officers who directed their artillery, they crossed 
into British territory. Sir Hugh Gough at once collect- 
ed troops, and fought the battle of Moodkee. The gen- 
eral reported : " The country is a dead flat. The enemy 
screened their infantry and artillery behind some jungle 
and undulations of the ground. They opened a very se- 
vere cannonade on our twelve battalions. Our one bat- 
tery of horse artillery and two light field batteries replied. 
Our cavalry made a flank movement, turned the left of 
the Sikh army, and, sweeping along the whole rear of its 
infantry and guns, silenced the artillery and put the horse- 
men to flight. The right of the enemy was also threat- 
ened, while the cannonade was resumed. The infantry 
advanced, but the opposition was such as might have been 
expected from troops who had everything at stake, and 
who had long vaunted of being irresistible. The line far 
outflanked ours, yet their whole force was driven from po- 
sition to position with great slaughter and the loss of sev- 
enteen pieces of artillery, our infantry using that never- 
failing weapon — the bayonet. The conflict was main- 
tained during an hour and a half of dim starlight." But 
the Sikhs only retired to Ferozeshah, where, in an in 
trenched camp, they numbered at least fifty thousand 
men, with one hundred and eight guns. Their camp was 
a mile in length and half a mile in breadth. Near one 
side was the river. The British attacked from the side of 
the open country. Low jungle covered the plain. The 
British guns were placed in the centre of the attacking 
lines. There were sixty-nine guns and sixteen thousand 
seven hundred men. A heavy fire was opened by the 
Sikhs. Li the face of a storm of shot and shell our in- 
fantry carried the formidable intrenchments ; but the 
Sikhs, rallying, poured in so fearful a fire of small-arms 
that night fell when the conflict was everywhere still rag- 
ing. The enemy, in spite of renewed efforts on our part, 
made with a fresh division, still held a portion of the great 

155 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

quadrangle, and our men had to bivouac on the part they 
had gained, greatly exhausted and vsuffering much from 
thirst. The long night thus wore away. Wherever 
moonlight showed our troops, they were harassed by shot 
from the enemy's artillery. But at daylight Sir H. Har- 
dinge, the Governor-General, placed himself at the head of 
the left wing, and Sir Hugh Gough at the head of the 
right, and an advance was again made. The village of 
Ferozeshah was taken, and then our force, swaying round 
on the centre, took the whole position. The British line 
halted as though on parade, receiving its two leaders, as 
they rode along in front, with enthusiastic cheers, and 
displaying the captured standards of the enemy. We took 
seventy-three pieces of cannon. Yet other attempts of 
the dauntless enemy continued, and it was only after our 
exhausted cavalry had been advanced to threaten both 
his flanks that he abandoned the field. The Sikh army 
then retreated on the fords of the River Sutlej. 

But in the following year their ambition to conquer 
India again revived, and the village of Aliwal gave its 
name to the next battle. Sir Harry Smith, afterwards 
distinguished in African warfare, and after whose wife 
Ladysmith, in Natal, was named, was the British com- 
mander. The country was open grass land. There was 
no dust, and the sun shone brightly. The glistening of 
swords and bayonets was most imposing as the British line 
advanced. The enemy's artillery fire quickly reached us. 
Carrying the village with his right. Sir Harry Smith at- 
tacked the Sikhs' centre, which for some time made a des- 
perate defence at another village, but all to no purpose. 
Native troops and British alike greatly distinguished 
themselves, and " the battle was won, our troops advanc- 
ing to the passage of the river. The enemy precipitated 
themselves in disordered masses into the ford and boats. 
Our howitzers played on them. Then the d6bris of the 
Sikh army appeared on the opposite high bank of the 
river, flying in every direction. Nine of their guns were 
on the verge of the river. They had been unlimbered to 

156 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

cover the ford. These were fired on us. Two were stick- 
ing in the stream; one of them we got out. Two were 
seen to sink in the quicksand. Two were dragged to the 
opposite bank and abandoned." The trophies taken com- 
pleted the number of one hundred and forty-three guns 
captured. The Sikhs retreated to Sobraon, on the left 
bank of the River Sutlej. It was determined to carry it by 
storm. Sir Hugh Gough was again in command. The 
task was a difficult one. Thirty thousand of the best 
troops of the enemy held the place, with seventy cannon A 
bridge gave them communication with another large force, 
also provided with artillery. " It had been intended, ' ' wrote 
the commander-in-chief, " that the cannonade should have 
commenced at daybreak ; but so heavy a mist hung over the 
plain and river that we had to wait for the sun to clear the at- 
mosphere. At nine o'clock infantry and guns advanced, 
the artillery taking up successive positions at the gallop 
until they were within three hundred yards of the enemj^ 
So hot was the enemy's fire that it seemed impossible 
to win the intrenchments, but persevering gallantry tri- 
umphed, and the troops effected a lodgment in the encamp- 
ment. The thunder of one hundred and twenty pieces of 
ordnance reverberated in the mighty combat through the 
valley of the Sutlej, and as it was seen that it was likely 
that the weight of all the Sikh army would be thrown on 
to the two brigades that had passed the trenches, the at- 
tack had to be made close and serious. The battle raged 
with inconceivable fury from right to left. The Sikhs, 
even when at particular points their intrenchments were 
mastered with the bayonet, strove to regain them by the 
fiercest conflict, sword in hand. The cavalry behaved 
nobly, and all available men were brought into the attack- 
ing line. The fire of the Sikhs first slackened, and then 
nearly ceased, and the victors threw them in masses over 
the bridge and into the Sutlej, which a sudden rise had 
rendered hardly fordable. Hundreds upon hundreds were 
drowned in attempting the perilous passage. Their awful 
slaughter would have excited compassion had they not sul- 

157 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

lied their gallantry by mangling every wounded soldier 
whom the fortune of war had left at their mercy. The 
Ghoorkhas in our army, soldiers of small stature but in- 
domitable spirit, armed with the short weapons of their 
mountains, were a terror to the Sikhs throughout this 
great combat. Sixty-seven pieces of cannon, two hun- 
dred camel swivel guns, standards, and vast stores were 
captured. The battle was over by eleven in the morning. 
About nine thousand Sildis perished, and two thousand 
four hundred killed and wounded on the British side 
showed the severity of the battle. A treaty of peace was 
signed with the Lahore government, and Lahore was oc- 
cupied by a garrison of British. 

But in 1848 British agents were murdered at Mooltan, 
and that city was besieged by eighteen thousand British 
and native troops. Sir Hugh, now Lord Gough, had to 
resume his old work on the Sutlej. It was not until after 
a fine defence that Mooltan fell. Chuttur and his son 
Shere Sing commanded another Sikh host at Chillian- 
wallah, a village which they strongly held, and where 
they were attacked by Lord Gough, a fearful battle ensu- 
ing. Colin Campbell, afterwards destined to distinguish 
himself and be promoted to the peerage as Lord Clyde, 
commanded a brigade on the left, and greatly contributed 
to the final successful result. At one time of the attack 
he told me he had seen a Sikh defending a place in the in- 
trenchment which was hotly attacked by our men. It was 
a narrow place, where only one man could advance at a 
time. A Sikh had cut down successively several men, 
when, by Campbell's directions, another, making a feint, 
parried the Sikh's stroke, and then, driving his bayonet 
into him, opened the way for his comrades to success. But 
some of our cavalry during the action were put to flight, 
and the Sikhs got in among the guns, carrying off six of 
them. Two thousand three hundred of the British were 
killed or wounded. Five colors were taken, and the enemy 
fired a salute at night in honor of what they considered a 
victory. They soon offered battle again at Goojerat,and 

158 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

again Lord Gough did not liesitate to attack. This time the 
Sikhs had sixty thousand men and fifty-nine guns advan- 
tageously placed. Some Afghan forces were also with 
them. Their camp encircled the town, and the army was 
bet\<^een the town and the bed of the river. The British 
had twenty-five thousand men. The Sikh guns were 
served with their accustomed rapidity, but ours gradually 
drove them back. A number of villages were stormed by 
the British infantry, the camps captured, and the enemy 
completely routed. The surrender of their arms by the 
brave Punjaubees soon followed. The guns given up were 
forty-one, making the total number of guns captured since 
the war began one hundred and fifty-eight. The annex- 
ation of the Punjaub followed. The Maharajah Dhuleep 
Singh was brought to England and educated there, and 
Lahore became the capital of the northwestern provinces. 
The gem which was the chief treasure of the crown of 
Lahore has since been famous in England. It was the 
diamond called the Mountain of Light (Koh-i-noor), now 
in the King's possession It is a wonderful stone, and 
was worn by Queen Victoria on State occasions. When 
Sir John Lawrence, afterwards Governor-General, was 
British resident at Lahore, there came a time when riots 
were feared, and Lawrence thought that the great dia- 
mond would be in peril. He went to the treasury and 
asked to see the State jewels. These were brought to him, 
and he took the diamond, telling the treasurer that he 
would soon return it to him. The treasurer, having full 
confidence in the "Lord Sahib," assented, and Lawrence 
walked home with the Koh-i-noor in his pocket. His head 
was full of the anticipated dangers, and when he reached 
his house he was still absent-minded, and mechanically 
opened a drawer and placed the diamond in it, and went 
to his desk and wrote for some hours. By the time he had 
finished, word was brought to him of circumstances which 
gave him yet further uneasiness. He went out, and was 
occupied constantly for some days. He forgot all about 
the Koh-i-noor I After some days "affairs settled down," 

159 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

as he said, and at a durbar held by the Maharajah, the 

treasurer, as usual, had the trays of the State jewels car- 
ried past the throne. The great diamond was not among 
them. "Where is the Koh-i-noor?" demanded the Ma- 
harajah. The treasurer salaamed, and, turning to Law- 
rence, said that it was in the possession of the Sahib. But 
Lawrence had for the moment completely forgotten that 
he had taken the jewel, and asked the treasurer what he 
meant by such a statement. All eyes were now turned 
on the two. The treasurer, again salaaming, said it was 
as he had declared. Lawrence denied, and yet felt dis- 
tressed, for he believed the treasurer honest, as did the 
assembly, who all evidently disbelieved the British resi- 
dent. The Maharajah meantime sat silent, and com- 
manded the durbar to proceed. Lawrence went home 
much perturbed, searched and found the diamond, and 
immediately sent to the Maharajah the lost gem, and a 
full account of the circumstances. The British resident 
was liked by the Prince, who made a joke of the incident. 

But this was an adventure which the gem passed through 
in its old age. It came from near Golconda, having been 
found in the mine of Colore, in the sixteenth century. It 
had been in the throne of Aurungzabe, and it had orna- 
mented an idol in Orissa. It was taken by the great con- 
queror Timur from Pandoor Rajah, whose rule was said 
to have extended over all India. Ranjit Singh, the " Lion 
of Lahore," used to wear it in the last century in an arm- 
let, set in gold and rubies. A French traveller, Taver- 
nier, knew it when the Great Mogul had it, and, uncut, it 
was said to weigh nine hundred carats. The Indian cut- 
ting reduced it to two hundred and seventy-nine carats, 
and it was again changed in form at Amsterdam, after it 
had been sent to England in 1849. 

There was a wonderful ruby at Lahore also, and an- 
other famous diamond of much smaller size, the " Nassick," 
which was bought by the Marquis of Westminster. At a 
ball at Grosvenor House the late Duchess of Westminster 
was wearing it, and it became detached from its fastening 

160 




ONE OF THE QUEEN's EARLY DRAWING-ROOMS 
(From a picture by A. E. Chalon, R.A.) 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

and fell. It was not found for half an hour, when one of 
the guests trod on something, and, picking it up, said, 
"Oh, here's a chandelier drop"; however, it was not a bit 
of Bohemian glass, but the historic diamond, which he 
laughingly said he was very sorry to return to its owner. 

Rudyard Kipling's father had lately established a col- 
lege of art at Lahore, and Ram Singh, one of his pupils, 
decorated the Indian Hall at Osborne. 

After following the events in India so far ahead, we 
must see something of the Queen's movements and the 
events in which she was able to take a personal part. She 
was always anxious to follow the fortunes of her Indian 
Empire in spirit; but, much as she desired to see that 
country, such good fortune was not in store for her, 
for it was not till many years later that she could hear 
from her eldest son of the grand loyalty which animated, 
throughout the whole of the latter part of her reign, its 
princes and its people 

The 6th of August, 1844, brought Prince Alfred into the 
world, and one of those who were present at the christen- 
ing at Windsor was the Prince of Prussia, afterwards the 
Emperor William. "The scene in the chapel," the Queen 
said, " was very solemn, and the organ has always a mov- 
ing effect on me. To see these two children there too [the 
Prince of Wales and Princess Royal] seemed such a dream 
to me. May God bless them all, poor little things, and 
that our youngest really may be as good as his beloved 
father was my fervent prayer during the service, as always 
for all of them." 

In October, Lady Lyttelton describes King Louis Phi- 
lippe's return visit. " As this is an historical day, I think 
I will not be lazy, but just write you a word of an event 
while it is fresh. At two o'clock he arrived, this curious 
King. Worth seeing if ever body was. The Queen hav- 
ing graciously permitted me to be present, I joined the 
Court in the corridor, and then the Queen of England came 
out of her room to go and receive the King of France. Her 
Majesty had not long to wait in the armory, before she 
L 161 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

received him at the entrance to the State apartments. 
From the armory, amid all the old trophies, knights' 
armor. Nelson's bust, Marlborough's flags and Welling- 
ton's, we saw the first of the escort enter the Quadrangle, 
and down went the Queen, and we after her, to the out- 
side of the door on the pavement of the Quadrangle, just 
in time to see the escort clattering up, and the carriage 
close behind. The old man was much moved, I think, 
and his hand shook as he alighted. 

" He was dressed in a blue uniform with a red ribbon 
across it, and stars on his breast, his coat being in the 
fashion of the uniforms of the day, cut away in front, and 
swallow-tailed. He wore trousers of the French red. His 
cocked hat was in his hand, so that his gray hair was 
seen. His countenance is striking, much better than the 
portraits ; his embrace of the Queen very parental and nice. 
Montpensier is a handsome youth, and the courtiers and 
ministers very well-looking, grave, gentleman-like people. 
It was a striking piece of real history, and made one feel 
and think much." 

The Queen wrote : " The King embraced me most warm- 
ly and kindly, and said, 'How much pleasure I have in 
saluting you!' He seemed quite touched, and led me up- 
stairs. What emotions and thoughts must fill his breast 
on coming here I He is the first King of France who comes 
on a visit to the sovereign of this country — a very eventful 
epoch indeed, and one which will surely bring good fruits. 
The King said, as he went up the Grand Staircase tow- 
ards his apartments, ' Dieu 1 comme c'est beau!' A little 
before three o'clock the King and Montpensier came over 
to the White Room, and lunched with us and mamma, the 
King sitting just where the Emperor of Russia used to sit. 
He was in the highest spirits, repeating again and again 
how happy he was to be here, and full of recollections of 
what had happened during his stay in England. He had 
met with a very enthusiastic reception. I never saw any- 
body more pleased, or more amused, in looking at every 
picture and every bust. He knew every bust and every- 

162 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

thing about everybody here in a most wonderful way. 
Such a memory, such activity; it is a pleasure to show 
him anything, as he is so pleased and interested. He is 
enchanted with the castle, and repeated to me again and 
again, as also to all his people, how he had feared that 
what he had so earnestly wished since I came to the throne 
would not take place, and 'Dieu! comme cela m'a fait 
plaisir de vous donner le bras ! ' 

"At dinner the King talked much of England, of hav- 
ing lived here so long, and liking it so much, his being 
devoue to us, of our late difficulties, about which he was 
most grateful for our having helped so much to smooth. 
I wish I could put down his conversations — they are so able 
and amusing. How many suites we have seen here, as 
Albert said — the King of Prussia's, the Archduke's, the 
Emperor of Russia's, the King of Saxony's, and now that 
of the King of the French. 

" October 9th. — After breakfast we went over to the King, 
and sat with him some little while. He is an extraordinarj'^ 
man. He talked much of our last difficulties, and the Eng- 
lish nation having been so excited. He said the French 
nation did not wish for war, but they loved to ' claquer ' like 
postilions, without knowing the bad consequences. Then 
he said the French did not understand being negociants 
like the English, nor the necessity of good faith, which 
gives this country such stability. And then again, ' France 
cannot make war on England, who is the Triton of the seas. 
England is the greatest empire in the world.' Then the 
King talked of the Tahiti affair, which he said he desired 
were at the bottom of the sea, and which he would much 
wish to be quite rid of. The French only wanted it for 
their whalers, which he trusted the Marquesas would do for. 

"The next day we proceeded by Staines — where the 
King recognized the inn and everything — to Twicken- 
ham, where we drove up to the house where he used to live ; 
which is a very pretty house, much embellished since the 
King lived there, but otherwise much the same. He walk- 
ed round the garden in spite of a heavy shower. He di- 

163 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

reeled the postilion which way to go to pass by the house 
where he Hved for five years with his brother before his 
marriage. We drove to Hampton Court. The King re- 
mained a long time looking at the pictures and marking 
in the catalogue those he intended to have copied for Ver- 
sailles. We then drove to Claremont, and after luncheon 
took a hurried walk in the grounds. The evening was cold 
and fine, and the King was far more heartily and affection- 
ately received wherever he was seen than was the Em- 
peror of Russia, many crying 'Vive le Roi/'Long live 
Louis Philippe. ' At Chertsey a man made a French speech. 
There was a great crowd when coming home near the 
gates, and the King, who had a friendly way of bowing 
very low with his hat and stretching out his hands, said, 
' I never had such a reception. How much it touches mel' 

" At dinner the King talked to me of the time when he 
was in school in the Grisons as a simple teacher receiving 
twenty pence a day, having to brush his own boots, under 
the name of Chabot. What an eventful life has his been!" 

At his investiture the next day with the Order of the 
Garter, the King was introduced to the room by Prince 
Albert and the Duke of Cambridge. The Queen wrote: 
" When he approached we all rose, and the King bowed in 
due form as he came up. I turned to him and said, ' I have 
the pleasure of announcing to your Majesty that you are 
elected a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.' 
Albert then placed the garter around the King's leg. The 
King said to me, 'I wish to kiss your hand,' which he did 
afterwards, and I embraced him. The Duke of Cam- 
bridge assisted me in placing the ribbon over the King's 
shoulder. The King then walked round the table, shak- 
ing hands with each of the knights, after which they were 
called over, and we accompanied the King to his rooms, 
where he again and again thanked us for our kindness. 
At four o'clock we again went over to the King's room, 
and I placed at his feet a large cup representing St. George 
and the Dragon, with which he was very much pleased. 

" He spoke m the highest terms of Albert. ' Oh, he will 

164 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

do wonders ; he is so wise. He does not go too fast. He 
gains so much on being known. He will always give you 
good advice. Do not think that I say this to flatter you. 
No, no; it comes from my heart. He will be like his uncle, 
just as wise and just as good. That is what I am just 
writing to my good Louise. He will be of the greatest use 
to you, and he will keep you well at his side if vicissitudes 
come upon you, which I hope will never happen; but of 
this one can never be certain.' He was most kind and 
paternal, and pleased and touched me. Both the Em- 
peror and the King of the French, two most different peo- 
ple, have joined in the same opinion about my beloved 
Albert." 

Nothing pleased the Queen more than to have the op- 
portunity of accepting the invitations of her distinguished 
subjects to their country houses, and during her reign 
these were kept up on the old footing of abundant hospi- 
tality. Large numbers of persons in the rural districts 
found employment in the stables, the gardens, the home 
farms, and the other industries promoted by such estab- 
lishments. It should have been the policy of govern- 
ments to encourage such rural employment. Instead, 
however, a contrary line of conduct has been carried out, 
through the financial policy of recent years, by the suc- 
cession duties, which make country estates pay more than 
they can bear, and thus diminish to a most serious extent 
the opportunities for occupation hitherto afforded. 

Among the great houses whose owners did "their duty 
to the land," as the phrase was, to the utmost of their 
power, taking part in all local affairs, as well as in Imperial 
politics, were the Dukes of Buckingham, whose house at 
Stowe has recently been the abode of members of the Or- 
leans family. 

The Queen visited the Duke in 1845. All the way from 
London flags were flying, and people assembled to catch 
a glimpse of the royal party. Triumphal arches spanned 
the way between Wolverton and Stony Stratford. Near 
the town of Buckingham, directions were given for the 

165 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

horses to proceed slowly. Every street was a mass of 
flags, streamers, and flowers; five hundred of the tenantry 
on horseback, with scarlet rosettes, lined the road before 
the house, where there were more than five hundred labor- 
ers, all employed upon the estate. The Duke's family re- 
ceived the royal travellers at the door of the great build- 
ing, which is of stately architecture, and forms a fine centre 
to the park, where landscape gardening, as the artificial 
improvement of land and water used to be called, was ad- 
mirably carried out, well-grouped woods enhancing the 
effect of the whole. 

The Queen wore a black velvet dress and tunic, and a 
white silk bonnet with lilac flowers; and before going to 
her rooms, asked the Duke to let her look a little longer at 
the assembly of English country folk, who, in a wide half- 
circle, were still shouting their welcomes and waving their 
hats. Nor would the people leave for some time after the 
Queen had disappeared within the house, although they 
knew that at their homes all were to have an excellent 
dinner provided for them, and, in addition, a crown piece, 
as a remembrance of the day. 

The Queen went through the marble room and the prin- 
cipal apartments, which formed one long set of chambers 
opening into each other, and full of beautiful things. The 
rooms set apart for the visitors were the Rembrandt room, 
so called from pictures by that artist on the walls; the 
breakfast and small dining parlor, the ante-library, library, 
music-room. State drawing-room. State dining-room. State 
dressing-room, and a State bedchamber. Indeed, the size of 
Stowe almost allowed as much accommodation to be given 
to the party as when, on another occasion, when travelling 
in Germany, Lord Clarendon, the minister in attendance 
on the Queen, was allowed the use of no fewer than thir- 
teen rooms, at a palace which formerly belonged to one of 
the prince-bishops. 

The curtains and covers of the chairs, etc., were of China 
silk, worked in silver on yellow. Most of the furniture 
was of marqueterie; two fine cabinets inlaid with ivory 

i66 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

and raother-o '-pearl and colored woods, each with a chas- 
ing in the centre in silver gilt ; a clock formerly in the pal- 
ace of Versailles, a table of mosaics and another of mala- 
chite, a chimney-piece of Italian white and colored marble, 
old Worcester porcelain, and a State bed made in 1737 for 
Frederick, Prince of Wales, with fluted pillars at each cor- 
ner, supporting a crimson canopy of gilded pine above, 
with hangings of crimson and yellow silk damask, were 
some of the beautiful things to be seen in the bed and dress- 
ing rooms. 

In the State drawing-room there was yellow silk on the 
walls, a great crystal chandelier hanging from the centre 
of the ceiling, a marble chimney-piece with porphyry col- 
umns, a clock supported by figures in porcelain made by 
the famous Vulliamy, crimson velvet-covered furniture 
from Venice, and pictures of the Sibyl by Domenichino; 
great vases of china, a marble mosaic from Rome, can- 
delabra given by Louis XV. to Madame de Pompadour, 
tables of inlaid marble, agate, and Egyptian alabaster, 
and fine old china, Dresden, and Sevres. 

The Queen's dressing-room was white and gold, with 
pictures by Teniers, Ostade, and Cuyp. The other rooms 
had pictures by Carlo Dolci, Correggio, Raphael, Poussin, 
Rubens, Vandyke, and others. Fine tapestry gave a wel- 
come rest to the eye apt to weary with so much richness of 
decoration. In the dining-room were great masses of gold 
and silver plate. The whole front of the house was illumi- 
nated in the evening. The two days' stay was chiefly oc- 
cupied in seeing the treasures of the house, and visiting the 
various memorial temples and points of view about the park. 

The Bucks Yeomanry were given the title of Royal in 
commemoration of their attendance upon the Queen. 

The Duke of Wellington had also the pleasure of receiv- 
ing the Queen at Strathfieldsaye, a place which had been 
given to him by the country on his making choice of it in 
preference to Bramshill, which at one time it had been pro- 
posed to purchase for him The visitors travelled through 
Bracknell and Wokingham, where Mr. Shaw Lefevre, 

167 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Speaker of the House of Commons, at the head of the 
Hants Yeomanry, met them. At Swallowfield the Duke 
of WeUington and his son. Lord Douro, were in waiting. 
The Duke of WelHngton took off his hat and bowed to the 
Queen, who cordially returned his greeting, and then, tak- 
ing his place in front of the Queen's carriage and four, rode 
on with other gentlemen to show the way. Arriving at five 
o'clock, the Duke dismounted, threw his overcoat to the 
groom, opened the Queen's carriage door, and led her into 
the house. The Dukes of Devonshire and Bedford, Lord 
Jersey, Sir Robert Peel, and many others welcomed them. 

Next day there was shooting. There were a consid- 
erable number of guns, but the quantity of game killed 
sounds small in comparison with the bags made in the 
present day, for it is recorded that after shooting for three 
hours, during which time three hundred and three shots 
were fired, forty-six hares, sixty-eight pheasants, fourteen 
rabbits, and three woodcock were killed ; total, one hundred 
and thirty-one head. Prince Albert shot with three guns, 
and the Duke of Wellington is reported to have made two 
or three remarkable shots. They drove to see Sir John 
Cope's fine, noble Elizabethan house on Bramshill. 

'The next day the number of shots fired by the sports- 
men was again minutely counted, and numbered one hun- 
dred and fifty-eight, with only seventy-one head of game 
killed, of which the Prince shot twenty-three pheasants, 
twelve hares, and six rabbits. 

The country near the Duke's house is just at the edge 
of the comparatively barren district, full of heath and pine, 
which extends from Bramshill to far south in Hampshire. 
There is only a small park, through which an avenue 
sweeps up to the house. A little river called the Lodden 
runs through some good timber, but it cannot be said that 
there is very much beauty in the situation of the place, or 
in its grounds. The house lies low, almost on a level with 
the river, and was built in the time of Queen Anne. It has 
clumps of tall chimneys ; its walls are not high, but the 
structure is one of considerable length. 

i68 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

Nor are the rooms inside remarkable. The Duke had 
everything about him very plain, both at Strathfieldsaye 
and at Walmer. Indeed, there was hardly any attempt at 
decoration with any remarkable product of brush or chisel. 
There was a good library. The Duke was always quite 
contented to be surrounded by things that were substantial 
and comfortable, and did not in the least care for any show. 
He lived very simply, but as Lord-Lieutenant of the county 
he had to attend to county business, and made it a point to 
be at home to entertain the judges whenever their circuit 
brought them near his place. 

He used to breakfast with his guests at ten, going after- 
wards to his own rooms, where he worked for several hours 
answering letters, never varying this routine except when 
he was hunting, and only, as a rule, leaving the house at 
wo o'clock. He dined at seven o'clock, and after tea, 
which in those days used always to follow dinner at a brief 
interval, sat down to whist, when the stakes never ex- 
ceeded five - shilling points. He spent the whole of the 
rental upon the improvement of the property. He used 
to say that he had no business to expend the money other- 
wise, "because the next Duke of Wellington may not be 
as rich a man as I am, and he should therefore receive the 
property in the best order. If he cannot keep it so, the 
fault will not be mine. " All his tenantry were well lodged, 
and they considered themselves happy to be under the Iron 
Duke. 

The Duke took the Queen in to dinner during the two 
days' stay, which was the usual period for the sovereign's 
visits to last. After dinner he got up and said: "With 
your Majesty's permission, I give the health of her Maj- 
esty," and then the same for the Prince. They then ad- 
journed to the library, and the Duke sat upon the sofa by 
the Queen for the rest of the evening until eleven o'clock, 
the Prince and gentlemen being scattered about in the 
library or billiard-room, which opens into it, or in the large 
conservatory. The band of the Duke's Grenadier Regi- 
ment played through the evening. 

169 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Germany was next to be visited, and the Queen much 
disliked leaving, for the first time, her children. She 
wrote on August 8, 1845 : " A very fine morning when we 
got up. Both Vicky and Alice were with me while I 
dressed. 'Why am I not going to Germany?' asked the 
eldest. Most willingly would I have taken her, and wish- 
ed much to have taken one of dearest Albert's children to 
Coburg ; but the journey is a serious undertaking, particu- 
larly the first time, and she is very young, too; but what 
chiefly decides us is a visit to the King of Prussia, where I 
could not have looked after her." 

At Antwerp they had bad weather, " but the people have 
illuminated the town with those triangular illuminations 
on the tops of long poles, as when we were here before." 
The King and Queen of the Belgians met them at Malines. 
At the Prussian frontier they were met by Chevalier Bun- 
sen and others. " To hear the people speak German," said 
the Queen, " and to see the German soldiers, seemed to me 
so singular. I overheard the people saying that I looked 
'very English.' At Briihl, after breakfast, we drove to 
the railroad, Albert with the King of Prussia, the Queen 
with the Austrian Archduke, who had been sent here to 
compliment me, and the Prince of Prussia with me. We 
went by rail to Bonn. We drove to the house of Prince 
Fiirstenburg. Many gentlemen connected with the uni- 
versity, who had known Albert, were there, and delighted 
to see him and pleased to see me. 

"We drove from Bonn to Albert's former little house, 
which is just as it was, and in no way altered. From a 
bower in the garden you have a beautiful view of the Kreuz- 
burg, a convent situate on the top of a hill. The Sieben 
Gebirge you also see." 

Meyerbeer conducted a great concert at Cologne. A 
steamer took them up the Rhine, twenty thousand troops 
saluting along the rampart lines of Ehrenbreitstein and 
at Coblentz, Alexander von Humboldt was among those 
who met them at Mayence. Prince Louis of Hesse, whom 
the Queen called " a very fine boy of eight, nice, and full 

170 




THE QUEEN IN 1845 
(From a painting by John Partridge) 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

of intelligence/' destined afterwards to marry one of the 
children who had been left at home with such regret, was 
brought to see the Queen at Aschaffenburg, where that 
same boy was called upon, in 1866, to fight against the 
Prussian troops. 

The end of the journey is thus described in the Queen's 
Journal : " At length we saw flags, and the people drawn 
up in lines, and in a few minutes more we were welcomed 
by Ernest [Duke of Coburg], in full uniform. We got 
into an open carriage of Ernest's, with six horses, Ernest 
being opposite to us. The good people were all dressed in 
their best, the women in pointed caps and many petti- 
coats, and the men in yellow breeches. Many girls were 
there with wreaths of flowers; and at Ketchendorf we 
found Uncle Leopold. Then the procession was formed. 
At the entrance to the town there was a triumphal arch, 
where the Burgomaster addressed us, and was quite over- 
come. On the other side stood a number of young girls 
dressed in white, with green wreaths and scarves, who 
presented us with bouquets and verses. I cannot say how 
much I felt moved on entering this dear old place, and with 
difficulty I restrained my emotion. The beautifully orna- 
mented town, the numbers of good people, the many recollec- 
tions connected with the place — all were so affecting. In 
the Platz, where are the Town Hall and Government House 
— fine, curious old houses — the clergy were assembled." 

At the palace they found "the staircase full of cousins." 
The next day they went to the country house of the Rose- 
nau. " How happy, how joyful, we were on awaking to feel 
ourselves here at the Rosenau, my Albert's birthplace, the 
place he most loves. He was so happy to be here with 
me; it was like a beautiful dream. Before breakfast we 
went up-stairs where he and Ernest used to live, which is 
quite in the roof, with a tiny bedroom on each side, in one 
of which they both used to sleep. The view is beautiful. 
The paper of the room is still full of holes from their 
fencing, and the same table is there on which they were 
dressed when little. " 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

They went to the excellent little theatre at the capital, 
and even the unemotional Lord Aberdeen "was pleased 
beyond ever3H;hing with our dear little country, and thinks 
it beautiful, and the people good and comfortable." They 
were greeted, especially on the Prince's birthday, by musi- 
cal societies singing beneath their windows, a custom which 
the Queen particularly enjoyed. 

On the way back they had cheering news of affairs 
in England from Sir Robert Peel, and they reached home 
after again visiting the King of the French. Little did 
they imagine that both Sir Robert Peel and the King were 
approaching the end of their political career. 

Peel's government succumbed under the assaults of 
Disraeli, whose attacks upon its leader were constant 
and violent. 

This was in 1846, and from this time forward Disraeli's 
attacks were incessant. Sir Robert continued to take an 
active part, bearing most magnanimously the attacks 
made upon him by former friends as well as by foes until 
1850, when he warmly defended Lord Palmerston, who 
had been his colleague. Going from the House, he at- 
tended a meeting of the commissioners for the Crystal 
Palace; and then, after calling at Buckingham Palace, 
he rode down Constitution Hill, where, stopping to have 
a talk with a daughter of Lady Dover, who was also on 
horseback, his horse suddenly became restive, threw him 
off, and seemed to fall with its knees on his shoulders. 
A medical man, happening to pass in his carriage, took 
Sir Robert home, where Sir James Clark, one of the Queen's 
physicians, also attended him. Sir Robert fainted on the 
doorstep of his house. Surgeons were sent for, but his 
pain was so great when they tried to ascertain the nat- 
ure of his hurt that they had to abandon their examina- 
tion on account of his anguish. It was afterwards found 
that one of his ribs had penetrated his lung. His de- 
lirium made him try to leap from his bed, and then he 
became unconscious. He awoke only to be able to say 
to his family, "God bless you, God bless you," and died. 

172 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

The Queen wrote: "Peel is to be buried to-day. The 
sorrow and grief are most touching and the country mourns 
over him as over a father. Every one seems to have lost 
a personal friend." 

In the new government Lord John Russell was Prime 
Minister and Lord Palmerston and Lord Grey were For- 
eign and Colonial Secretaries. 

Princess Helena was born on May 25, 1846. 

The purchase of Osborne and the arrangements made 
there for the improvement of the place, together with the 
completion of the first part of the house, which they were 
able to finish, gave the Queen and Prince Albert much 
pleasure. 

Lady Lyttelton wrote on December i6th: "Our first 
night in this house is well passed. Nobody complained 
of the smell of paint, or caught cold, and the worst is over. 
Everything in the house is quite new, and the drawing- 
room looks very handsome. The lights of the lamps in the 
windows in this room must have been seen far out at sea. 
At dinner we were to drink the Queen's and the Prince's 
health as a house-warming, and after it the Prince said, 
very simply and seriously, 'We have a psalm in Ger- 
many for such occasions,' and then quoted it. It was 'to 
bless our going out and coming in, our daily bread, and 
all we do; bless us to a blessed dying, and make us heirs 
of heaven. ' It was dry and quaint, being Luther's. We 
all perceived that he was feeling it, and truly the entering 
of a new house is a solemn thing to do to those whose space 
of life in it is possibly not long, and who, in spite of rank 
and health and youth, may be going down-hill now. 

"I forgot the best part of our breaking in, which was 
that Lucy Kerr insisted on throwing an old shoe into the 
house after the Queen, as she entered for the first night, 
this being a Scottish superstition. She wanted also to 
have some melted lead and sundry other charms, but they 
were not forthcoming." 

The Queen had spoken to Louis Philippe about diffi- 
culties in Spain likely to arise if, as was reported, it was 

173 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

desired that the son of the King of the French should mar- 
ry with the Infanta of Spain. At Eu the King had said 
that he would never hear of Montpensier's marriage with 
the Infanta until it was no longer a political question, 
which would be when the Queen was married and had 
children. The long negotiations which took place in re- 
gard to this Spanish marriage extended over a wide area. 
Prince Leopold and many other bridegrooms being pro- 
posed. 

We cannot here go into any details, but merely note 
that the conduct of the French government strained the 
relations between that country and England. 

Louis PhiHppe had endeavored to get more and more 
power into his own hands. The franchise was very re- 
stricted. He intrigued, against his promise to England, 
for his son Montpensier to marry a Spanish princess, 
and arranged the marriage of the Queen of Spain to a 
man who was mentally weak. Thus he calculated that 
Montpensier, or his children, might succeed to the throne. 
Louis Philippe, in vulgar phrase, was in his mature cun- 
ning "too clever by half." The Spaniards disliked Mont- 
pensier, and the friendship of England was risked for no 
good. Early in 1848 the increasing dissatisfaction in 
Paris found vent in the usual manner — namely, by the 
erection of barricades. The royal stables were attacked, 
and the royal carriages burned. The National Guard 
fraternized with the mob and fired on the regular troops. 
The King and Queen's escape from the palace, when the 
mob entered it, was thus narrated: "They, with the Due 
and Duchesse de Nemours, Due and Duchesse de Montpen- 
sier, and the Duke and Duchess August of Saxe-Coburg, 
remained at first surrounded by a large number of per- 
sonal friends. The Due de Broglie, M. Thiers, and many 
members of the Legislature were with them. The Due 
de Nemours had the command of the troops drawn up in 
the court-yard of the palace, and there is every reason to 
believe that they were ready and willing to act against 
the insurgent populace, which was rapidly advancing 

174 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

towards the Place du Carrousel. But the National Guards 
retired before the crowd, and when they reached the pal- 
ace they cried out to the troops of the line not to fire upon 
the people. The Due de Nemours seems to have thought 
that resistance was hopeless, for he made no attempt to 
check the progress of the mob. Not a shot was fired, 
and the troops remained inactive while the people throng- 
ed the court -yard and swarmed round the entrance to 
the palace. News was brought to the crowd that the 
King had abdicated. He had left the palace. At the 
Pont Toumant, close by, a troop of National Guards on 
horseback was seen, forming the head of a procession, 
the leading persons in which, by gestures, incited the 
citizens to refrain from hostile demonstration. At this 
moment the words 'a great misfortune' were heard, and 
the King Louis Philippe, his right arm passed under the 
left arm of the Queen, on whom he appeared to lean for 
support, was seen to approach from the gate of the Tuil- 
eries, in the midst of the horsemen, and followed by about 
thirty persons in different uniforms. The Queen walked 
with a firm step, and cast around looks of assurance, with 
anger intermingled. The King wore a black coat, with 
a common round hat, and wore no orders. The Queen 
was in full mourning. A report was circulated that they 
were going to the Chamber of Deputies to deposit the act 
of abdication. Cries of 'Vive la Reforme!' 'Vive la 
France!' and even by two or three persons 'Vive le Roi!' 
were heard. The procession had scarcely passed the 
Pont Tournant when the King and Queen and the whole 
party made a sudden halt. In a moment they were sur- 
rounded by people on foot and on horseback, and so crowd- 
ed that they had no longer their freedom of motion. Louis 
Philippe seemed alarmed at their sudden approach. He 
turned quickly round, let go the Queen's ann, took off 
his hat, raised it in the air, and cried out something which 
the noise prevented my hearing. In fact, the cries and 
pile-mMe were general. The Queen became alarmed at 
no longer feeling the King's arm, and turned round in 

175 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

extreme haste, saying something which I could not catch. 
At this moment I said, 'Madame, fear nothing; go on, 
the crowds will open before you.' Whether her anxiety 
made her misunderstand, I do not know; but, pushing 
back my hand, she exclaimed, ' Leave me ! ' with a most 
irritated accent. She seized hold of the King's arm, and 
they turned their steps towards two small black carriages 
with one horse each. In the first were two young chil- 
dren. The King took the left and the Queen the right, 
and the children, with their faces close to the glass of the 
vehicle, looked at the crowd with the utmost curiosity. 
The coachman whipped his horses violently, and, sur- 
rounded by the cavalry and the National Guards, the 
carriages passed. They went off as hard as they could 
drive to Versailles. There they hired a common car- 
riage to convey them to Dreux, and passed the night at the 
house of a person on whose fidelity they could rely. Here 
they procured disguises, and before daylight next morn- 
ing set out on their journey to the coast, travelling chief- 
ly by night. They reached Honfleur early on the morn- 
ing of February 26th, and after vainly trying to embark 
at Trouville, on account of the storm, got, after some 
more anxious days, to Honfleur, where they found a 
French fishing-boat, which took them to the English 
steamer Express. This vessel landed them safely at 
Newhaven. Louis Philippe left no party behind him, 
and lived in the retirement of Claremont." 

It is pleasant again to revert to one of those excursions 
that the Queen was so fond of making into the country 
to pay visits to the great houses — where ancient history 
and modem hospitality awakened interest and adorned 
private life. One of these visits was to the Duke of Nor- 
folk at Arundel Castle. 

Every one who has travelled to Portsmouth knows the 
fine cluster of Norman towers and rampart walls, with 
the ruined keep above it, the lofty church near it, and 
the little town seen across the meadow flats through 
which the Arun River winds; and has admired, in 

176 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

summer, the background of wooded hills which enframes 
the view of the castle home of the first of the English 
dukes. 

Norman in the beginning, it had been restored and im- 
proved shortly before the Queen's visit, just as now again 
further improvements have been made, and a fine new 
tower added by the present Duke, who has happily re- 
turned from the South African campaign, having been 
the only minister who, laying down for a time high ojffice 
in the government, chose to do also the soldier's duty 
in the field. 

The very name is Norman, though it may possibly be 
that the arms of the town, which bear the "Hirondelle," 
or swallow, may have been given to it as a play upon an 
older word. It is curious how, in modern France, liber- 
ties have been taken with the letter "h," just as by many 
in England in regard to that inconvenient consonant. 
For the Norman-French seem to have pronounced the 
word as "Ourundele," while in other words they inva- 
riably pronounced the "h," which is so carefully avoided 
at the commencement of any word by the modem Parisians. 

King Alfred of the Saxons speaks of the place, which 
tends to show that "Hirondelle" was only a pun. Will- 
iam the Conqueror gave it to Montgomery, and when the 
family of Albini passed it on to the Fitzalans, it came, 
by marriage, in Elizabeth's time, to the Howards. The 
castle was taken and retaken during the civil wars, be- 
ing captured by Hopton and retaken by Waller. Nor 
was it until the eleventh Duke of Norfolk's time, at the 
commencement of this century, that it was made fully 
habitable, about £600,000 being spent upon it. 

There is a fine gateway built by Montgomery — a square 
tower standing over an archway, communicating with the 
keep above by a raised passage carried across the moat, 
just as in the case of the Round Tower at Windsor. 

The wall of the keep was seventy feet high. There were 
no loopholes or windows in the external masonry, so that 
it must have been expected that the garrison would have 

177 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

sufficient space along the parapet to work their mango- 
nels for the defence of the place. 

The outside wall facings are of stone from Caen, in Nor- 
mandy. For very many years the only guests in the keep 
were a number of American owls. There is an immense 
dungeon at the east end of the castle. The Barons' Hall 
is copied from Westminster and Eltham and Crosby halls. 
It had an open roof of Spanish chestnut, and had a stained- 
glass window. This hall is one hundred and fifteen by 
thirty-five feet. 

The banqueting - room was originally the old chapel. 
The library is one hundred and twenty feet in length. 
Many interesting portraits escaped the civil wars and sub- 
sequent ruin. Holbein painted the Duke of his day, and 
there is a portrait of Richard III,, believed to be the only 
existing painting which is authentic of that King. An- 
other Holbein shows Christina, Duchess of Milan, painted 
by command of Henry VIII., who received the very nat- 
ural answer to his proposal for her hand that if she had 
more than one head it should be at his service I 

The Queen went from Osborne, embarking on the Fairy, 
and at Portsmouth Harbor got into the barge, being met 
at Portsmouth by the Duke of Norfolk, who was then 
Master of the Horse. They then drove by Emsworth and 
Chichester to Arundel, where the Duchess of Norfolk, 
Lord and Lady Arundel, the Duchess of Sutherland, Lord 
John Russell, Lord EUesmere, and others met them. 

Lord and Lady Palmerston, the Marquis of Granby, 
the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, the Duke of Welling- 
ton and his beautiful daughter-in-law. Lady Douro, and 
many others were at dinner. All the castle was illumi- 
nated, and a great display of fireworks rejoiced the hearts 
of the townspeople that night. Cannon were sent from 
Woolwich to fire salutes. At Burton the water in the 
great pond, which covered eighty acres, was drained away 
so that all the fish might be sent as a present to Arundel 
for the Queen's entertainment, a pike of thirty-five pounds 
being among them, 

178 




QUEEN victoria's MOTHER 
(From a picture by Winterhalter) 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

The party visited Petworth House, some riding and 
others driving, but the Duke of Wellington contented 
himself "with a ride through the town for an airing." 
After a very agreeable visit, a return was made to the 
Isle of Wight. 

In the autumn of 1846 the Queen and Prince Albert 
went in their yacht to Plymouth, whence, in spite of bad 
weather, they made many excursions, one up the Tamar, 
going first a little way up the St. Germans River, with 
its very pretty wooded banks. " Tremarton Castle to the 
right, which belongs to Bertie, as Duke of Cornwall, and 
Jats to the left. How extremely pretty!" wrote the Queen. 
"We stopped here and afterwards turned back, and went 
up the Tamar, the banks of which at first seemed flat, 
but as we proceeded the scenery became quite beauti- 
ful — richly wooded hills, trees growing down into the 
water, and the river winding so much as to have the 
effect of a lake. 

" The finest parts began about Saltash, which is a small 
but prettily built town. At Tavy the river becomes very 
beautiful. We passed numbers of mines at work. At 
Cothele we landed and drove up a steep hill under fine trees 
to the very curious old house, where we got out of the car- 
riage. It stands in the same state that it was in the time 
of Henry VIII. , and is in great preservation." 

The Prince made an expedition to Dartmore Forest, 
and the Queen said that when she had to meet crowds 
without him she felt so shy and put out. 

After steaming to Jersey and Guernsey, the Queen and 
the Prince both sketched the outlines of Herm and Jethou 
at St. Pierre. 

" At a quarter to nine," she said, " we got into our barge 
with our ladies. Pier and shore were lined with people, 
the ladies, dressed in white, singing ' God save the Queen ' 
and strewing the ground with flowers. The people were 
extremely well-behaved and friendly, and received us very 
warmly as we drove through the narrow streets, which 
were decorated with flowers and flags and lined with the 

179 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Guernsey militia, two thousand strong, with their sev- 
eral bands. Some of the militia were mounted. 

" At St. Helier's, in Jersey, the people were most cord- 
ial in their welcome, though not more so than the good 
Guernsey people." 

They went to St. Michael's and then to the Restormel 
mine. " Albert and I got into one of the trucks, and were 
dragged in by the miners. The miners wear a curious 
woollen dress and a broad-rim cap with a rounded crown, 
and they generally have a candlestick in front of the cap. 
This time candlesticks were stuck along the side of the 
mine, and those who did not drag or push the truck car- 
ried lights. 

"Albert and the gentlemen wore miners' hats. There 
was no room for any one to pass between the trucks and 
the rocks, and only just room enough to hold up one's 
head, and not always that. It had a most curious effect, 
and there was something unearthly about this lit-up, cav- 
ern-like place. We got out and scrambled a little way to 
see the veins of ore, and Albert knocked off some pieces, 
but in general it is blasted by gunpowder, being so hard." 

It may be of interest to note here that what appears to 
have been the first statue of Queen Victoria to be erected 
in any part of her dominions was unveiled at Edinburgh 
on January 24, 1844. It was the work of Mr. (afterwards 
Sir John) Steell, and represents the Queen seated on a 
throne and wearing the diadem. With her right hand she 
grasps the sceptre, and her left reposes on an orb. 

The entire pose of the figure is suggestive of the calm- 
ness that comes from the possession of power, and is full 
of quiet grace and majesty. 

The statue is of colossal size, and was placed in a very 
appropriate position on the colonnade of the Royal In- 
stitution, fronting Prince's Street. The figure is nearly 
four times life-size, but the unusually high elevation of 
the pedestal tends to reduce its apparent size and makes 
it harmonize well with the grand proportions of the mas- 
sive building in the background. 

180 



EVENTS OF THE LATER FORTIES 

It would be hard indeed to tell how many statues, great 
and small, have been erected in various parts of the Brit- 
ish Empire to its greatest Queen. In the Jubilee year, 
more especially, such local memorials of a glorious reign 
were erected in great numbers. 

It is even stated that the natives of some parts of India 
have been found offering a veneration scarcely distin- 
guishable from idol-worship to the statues of the Queen. 

But the truest monument to the great Queen is surely 
to be seen in the beneficent influence of her reign, in the 
consolidation and growth of the Empire, in the develop- 
ment of the colonies, and in the general amelioration of 
the condition of the community at large. Such memo- 
rials, written on the history of the nation, will be fresh 
when bronze and marble have perished. 



CHAPTER VI 

TOURS OF THE QUEEN AND PRINCE CONSORT 

We must say more about the impressions made by the 
various parts of Scotland, to which the Queen paid visits 
about this period. 

The one which, perhaps, most impressed her was that 
paid to Lord Breadalbane's beautiful place at Taymouth. 
The following extracts are taken from Leaves from a 
Journal : 

"Just outside Dunkeld, before a triumphal arch. Lord 
Glenlyon's Highlanders, with halberds, met us and form- 
ed our guard, a piper playing before us. Dunkeld is beau- 
tifully situated in a narrow valley on the banks of the 
Tay. We drove to where the Highlanders were all drawn 
up in the midst of their encampments, and where a tent 
was prepared for us to lunch in. Poor Lord Glenlyon 
received us, but he had unfortunately become totally 
blind, which is dreadful for him. He was led about by 
his wife, which was very melancholy. His blindness 
was caused by over-fatigue. 

"The Dowager Lady Glenlyon, the Mansfields, Kin- 
noulls, Buccleuchs, and many others were there. We 
walked down the ranks of the Highlanders, and then par- 
took of luncheon, and one of the Highlanders danced a 
sword dance; some others danced a reel. 

''At a quarter to four we left Dunkeld as we came, a High- 
land guard marching with us till we reached the outside 
of the town. The drive was quite beautiful all the way 
to Taymouth. High hills on each side. The Tay winds 
along beautifully and the hills are richly wooded. The 
hills grew higher and higher, and Albert said it was very 

182 



TOURS OF THE QUEEN 

Swiss-looking in some parts. High ribbed mountains ap- 
peared in the distance, higher than any we had yet seen. 
This was near Aberfeldy, which is charmingly situated, 

" At a quarter to six we reached Taymouth. At the gate 
a guard of Highlanders, Lord Breadalbane's men, met 
us. Taymouth lies in a valley, surrounded by high wood- 
ed hills. It is most beautiful. The house is a kind of 
castle built of granite. The coup d'oeil was indescrib- 
able. There were a number of Highlanders, all in the 
Campbell tartan, drawn up in front of the house, with 
Lord Breadalbane, himself in Highland dress, at their 
head; a few of Sir Neil Menzies's men in the Menzies's 
red and white tartan, a number of pipers playing, and a 
company of the 92d Highlanders, also in kilts. 

" The firing of the guns, the cheering of the great crowd, 
the picturesqueness of the dresses, the beauty of the sur- 
rounding country, with its rich background of wooded 
hills, altogether formed one of the finest scenes imagin- 
able. It seemed as if a great chieftain, in old and feudal 
times, was receiving his sovereign. It was princely and 
romantic. 

"After dinner the grounds were most splendidly illu- 
minated. A whole chain of lamps along the railings, 
and on the ground was written in lamps, ' Welcome, Vic- 
toria — Albert. ' 

"A small fort which is up in the woods was illumi- 
nated, and bonfires were burning on the tops of the hills. 
I never saw anything so fairylike. There were some 
pretty fireworks, and the whole ended by the Highland- 
ers dancing reels, which they do to perfection, to the sound 
of the pipes, by torchlight, in front of the house. It had 
a wild and very gay effect. 

"Next day Albert went off at half-past nine o'clock to 
shoot with Lord Breadalbane. I walked out with the 
Duchess of Norfolk along a path overlooking the Tay, 
which is very clear, and ripples along over the stones, 
the high mountains forming such a rich background. 

"We got up to the dairy, which is a kind of Swiss cot- 

183 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

tage built of quartz, very clean and nice. From the top 
of it there is a very pretty view of Loch Tay. 

"Albert returned at half -past three. He had had 
excellent sport, and the trophies of it were brought out 
before the house — nineteen roedeer, several hares and 
pheasants, and three brace of grouse. There was also a 
capercailzie, a magnificent large bird. Albert had been 
near Aberfeldy, and had to shoot and walk the whole 
way back. Lord Breadalbane himself beating, and three 
hundred Highlanders out. 

"We went at five with Lady Breadalbane and the 
Duchess of Sutherland and saw part of Loch Tay, and 
drove along the banks of the Tay, under fine trees, and 
saw Lord Breadalbane's American buffaloes. 

"There was shooting again next day. I walked out 
with the Duchess of Norfolk across the high bridge and 
along the grass walk overhanging the Tay. Two of the 
Highland guard, who were stationed at almost every gate 
in the park, followed us, and it looked like olden times to 
see them with their swords drawn. At a lodge in the 
same road a fat, good-humored little woman, about forty 
years old, got some flowers for each of us. The Duchess 
gave her some money, saying, 'From her Majesty.' I 
never saw any one more surprised than she was. She, 
however, came up to me and said very warmly that my 
people were delighted to see me in Scotland. 

"It came on to rain very heavily soon afterwards, and 
we saw a woman in the river, with her dress tucked up 
almost to her knees, washing potatoes. 

" Albert had had very hard work on the moors, wading 
up to his knees in bogs every now and then, and had 
killed nine brace of grouse. 

"We lunched. Then we went to the drawing-room, 
and saw from the window the Highlanders dancing reels. 
There were nine pipers at the castle; sometimes one and 
sometimes three played. They always played about break- 
fast-time, again during the morning, at luncheon, and 
also whenever we went in and out, again before dinner, 

184 



TOURS OF THE QUEEN 

and during most of dinner-time. We both have become 
quite fond of the bagpipes. 

"In the evening we took a most beautiful drive along 
part of the lake between the hills. Such grand moun- 
tain secnery, with little huts so low, so full of peat-smoke 
that one could hardly see anything for smoke. 

" We saw Ben Lawers, which is said to be four thousand 
feet high. And farther on, quite in the distance, Ben 
More ; also Glen Lyon and many a fine glen. It was quite 
dark when we came home at half-past seven. At eight 
we dined. After dinner came a number of people, about 
ninety, and there was a ball, which opened with a qua- 
drille, which I danced with Lord Breadalbane, and Albert 
with the Duchess of Buccleuch. A number of reels were 
danced, which are very amusing and pretty to see. 

" Next day the whole party went down to the lake, where 
we embarked. Lady Breadalbane, the Duchess of Suther- 
land, and Lady Elizabeth went by land ; all the others in 
boats. Two pipers sat on the bow and played very often. 

"Our row of sixteen miles up Loch Tay to Auchmore, 
a cottage of Lord Breadalbane's near the end of the lake, 
was the prettiest thing imaginable. We saw the splendid 
scenery to such great advantage on both sides — Ben Law- 
ers, the small waterfalls descending its sides, with other 
high mountains, wooded here and there, with Kenmore 
in the distance. The view looking back as the loch winds 
was most beautiful. The boatmen sang two Gaelic boat 
songs; very wild and singular: the language so guttural 
and yet so soft." 

The Queen revisited Taymouth in l886, with the Prin- 
cess Louise, the Dowager Duchess of Athole, and Miss 
MacGregor. 

"We did not wish to be known," the Queen wrote, 
"and we decided on not attempting to drive through the 
grounds, and contented ourselves with getting out at the 
gate, close to a small fort, into which we were led by a 
woman from the gardener's house who had no idea who 
we were. 

185 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

"We got out and looked from this height down upon 
the house below, the mist having cleared away sufficient- 
ly to show us everything ; and then, unknown and quite 
in private, gazed, not without deep emotion, on the scene 
of our reception twenty-four years ago by dear Lord Bread- 
albane in a princely style not to be equalled in grandeur 
and poetic effect. Albert and I were then only twenty- 
three, young and happy. How many are gone that were 
with us then! I was very thankful to see it again; it 
seemed unaltered." 

After Taymouth the young Queen and Prince saw 
Drummond Castle and its beautiful gardens, with "ter- 
races like an old French garden." 

The Clyde was seen in 1847. On the way there they 
found themselves in August in the yacht close to Ailsa 
Rock, the great dome-shaped mass of rock, with precip- 
itous sides, rising from the deep water, midway between 
the coast of Kintyre and Ayrshire. 

"The formation of the craig is very curious," the Queen 
writes. "There were thousands and thousands of birds 
— gannets — on the rock, and we fired a gun off three times 
in order to bring them in reach of a shot. Albert tried, 
but in vain. 

" We next came in sight of the beautiful Isle of Arran. 
The finest point is when you are before the Holy Island 
and in sight of the Goatfell range of mountains. The 
highest is about two thousand eight hundred feet. They 
are peculiarly fine with their bold, pointed outlines. Be- 
fore them is Lamlash Bay. 

"After passing Holy Island we came to Brodick Bay, 
which is beautiful, with high hills and a glen, in front of 
which, surrounded by a wood, is the castle which Lord 
Douglas is building. Not long after this we came in 
sight of the Isle of Bute, the view of which, from Lord 
Bute's property, is beautiful — wooded banks, the river 
opening out and widening, surrounded by the distant 
mountains. 

"At half-past twelve we reached Greenock, the port of 

186 



TOURS OF THE QUEEN 

Glasgow. The shore and the ships were crowded with 
people, there being no less, as I since learned, than thirty- 
nine steamers overfilled with people, which all followed 
us. Such a thing never was seen. Add to these steam- 
ers boats and ships of all descriptions, moving in all di- 
rections, but not getting out of the way. We, however, 
got safe on board the Fairy and steamed up the Clyde." 

They passed the small town of Port Glasgow, and about 
one o'clock were at Dumbarton Rock. "Its situation is 
very fine, rising out of the river, with the town of Dum- 
barton behind it." 

A friend tells me that she was on board one of the steam- 
ers which went close to the royal yacht, and, in answer 
to the cheers of the passengers, the Queen waved a green 
parasol. 

"We landed below the castle at Dmnbarton and went 
in a carriage to the fort. There was a great crowd, but 
excellent order was kept. We had to mount many steps to 
get to the battery. Wallace was confined here, and it 
was one of the last castles which held out to Mary Queen 
of Scots. We ought to have seen Ben Lomond, but it 
was in mist. 

"We returned, escorted by nineteen steamers, past 
Greenock, and went on towards Loch Long, passing 
Roseneath to the right. 

"Loch Long is indeed splendid, fifteen miles in length, 
surrounded by grand hills and such beautiful outlines, 
and very green. All so different from the eastern part 
of Scotland, the loch winding along most beautifully so 
as to seem closed at times. The finest point is looking 
towards Loch Goil. We had a very good sight of the 
mountain called the 'Cobbler,' the top of which resem- 
bles a man sitting and mending his shoe. 

"At the end of the loch we got a glimpse of Ben Lo- 
mond, and were in fact very near Loch Lomond. We 
returned and went on to Rothesay and immediately went 
on board the Victoria and Albert, greatly tired, but much 
amused and interested. 

187 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

"The children enjoy everything extremely, and bear 
the novelty and excitement wonderfully. The people 
cheered the Duke of Rothesay (a title belonging to the 
eldest son of the Sovereign of Scotland) very much, and 
also called for a cheer for the Princess of Great Britain, 

"Rothesay is a pretty little town built around a fine 
bay, with a fine harbor. When we went on deck after 
dinner we found the whole town brilliantly illuminated 
and every window lit up, which had a very pretty effect." 

Next day they went round the southern shore of Bute 
to Loch Fyne and up that long ford, finding themselves, 
when they went on deck again, within an hour of Inver- 
ary, where the lake widens, and where the hills on either 
side are very green and undulating, but not very high. 
The approach to Inverary is splendid; the loch is very 
wide. 

"Straight before you," wrote the Queen, "a fine range 
of mountains splendidly lit up — green, pink, and lilac. 
To the left, the little town of Inverary, and above it, sur- 
rounded by pine woods, stands the Castle of Inverary, 
square, with turrets at the comers. 

" Our reception was in the true Highland fashion. The 
Duke and Duchess of Argyll (dear Lady Elizabeth Gower), 
the Duchess of Sutherland, Lord Stafford, Lady Caroline 
Gower, and the Blantyres received us at the landing-place, 
which was all ornamented with heather. The Celtic So- 
ciety, including Campbell of Isla, his two sons, one grown 
up and the other a very pretty boy, and a large number 
of his men, all dressed in Highland dress, and several 
other Campbell gentlemen, were all drawn up near to the 
carriages. 

"We got into one with the two Duchesses, Charles and 
the Duke being on the box. We left the children on board 
the Fairy and took a beautiful drive among the magnif- 
icent trees and along a glen called Glen Shira. The 
weather was very fine, and we were much struck by the 
extreme beauty of Inverary, presenting as it does such 
a combination of magnificent timber, of high mountains, 

i88 



TOURS OF THE QUEEN 

and a noble lake. The pipers walked before the car- 
riage and the Highlanders on either side as we approach- 
ed the castle. 

" We lunched at two with our hosts, the Highland gen- 
tlemen standing with halberds in the room. We sent for 
our children, who arrived during luncheon-time. We left 
Inverary before three, and took the children with us in 
the carriage. " 

The Duke of Argyll thus describes the visit : 

August 19, 1848. 

"All went off perfectly yesterday. The Queen visited 
Inverary. The day cleared up gloriously just as the 
squadron hove in sight. The light on the hills and woods 
was most brilliant, the mist rolling off the tops, the ships 
and steamers covered with flags, the herring fleet well 
disposed with hanging nets, etc. A show of kilts to the 
number at least of three hundred and fifty. 

"We drove the Queen and Prince off at once on land- 
ing to see the old beech avenue in Glen Shira before lunch. 
They were astonished to see such good timber, the Prince 
remarking every fine tree that he passed. In the Queen's 
carriage, the Queen and the Prince, Duchess of Argj^ll 
and Duchess of Sutherland, Prince Leiningen and I on 
the dickey. The Queen in very good spirits and good- 
humored. Campbell of Isla alone brought two hundred 
men in Highland dress, and these Campbell gentlemen 
stood with halberds and axes around the table when the 
Queen was at lunch. 

" The re-embarkation was equally successful, the Fairy 
coming alongside the quay. The first words the Queen 
said to me when I handed her out of the boat was, ' What 
a beautiful situation this is!' She took my arm up the 
quay, which was covered over with white and blue cloth, 
and lined with kilted men. The Prince handed the Duch- 
ess; the same order in going in to dinner. The Queen 
most kind and civil to everybody, and Isla's little boy, 
Walter, when he was presented to her, knelt and kissed 

189 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

her hand in a most graceful way. My little Ian positive- 
ly refused to kiss the hand of the little Princess Royal, 
much to the amusement of the Queen." 

Continuing the voyage, they passed southward again 
until they had rounded the Mull of Cantire, fortunately 
in fine weather. Passing up the Atlantic side of that 
long promontory, they got to the western entrance of the 
Crinan Canal, and so onward up the Sound of Kerrera 
to Oban, "one of the finest spots we have seen, the ruins 
of the old castle of Dunolly, with a range of high moun- 
tains in the distance, to the left." 

Some first impressions of Edinburgh may be mentioned 
here. 

"At Granton Pier," said the Queen, "we were met by 
the Duke of Buccleuch, Sir Robert Peel, and others. Sir 
Robert told us the people were all in the highest good-hu- 
mor. We got into a barouche, the ladies and gentlemen 
following. There were, however, not nearly so many 
people in Edinburgh, though the crowd and crush were 
such that one was continually in fear of accident, 

" The impression Edinburgh has made upon us is very 
great. It is quite beautiful, totally unlike anything else 
I have seen, and what is even more, Albert, who has seen 
so much, says it is unlike anything he ever saw. Every- 
thing is built of massive stone; there is not a brick to be 
seen anywhere. The High Street, which is pretty steep, 
is very fine. Then the castle, situate on that grand rock 
in the middle of the town, is most striking. On the other 
side, the Calton Hill, many magnificent buildings, with 
Arthur's seat in the background overtopping the whole, 
form altogether a splendid spectacle. 

"We reached Dalkeith at eleven, a large house con- 
structed of reddish stone, the greater part built by the 
Duchess of Monmouth. The park is very extensive. 
The house has three fronts, with an entrance on the left 
as you drive up. We were shown up a very handsome 
staircase to- our rooms, which are very comfortable. 

"At breakfast next morning I tried the oat-meal por- 

190 




PRINCE ALBERT IN THE ROBES OF THE GARTER 

(From the painting bj' Winterhalter) 



TOURS OF THE QUEEN 

ridge, which I think very good, and also some of the 
Finnan haddies. We then walked out. The pleasure 
grounds seemed very extensive and beautiful, wild and 
hilly. We walked along the river Esk, up a steep bank 
to a little cottage, and came home by the upper part of 
the walk. 

"Dalkeith was full of people. The old women wear 
that kind of cap which they call a 'mutch,' and the 
young girls and children bareheaded, with flowing hair, 
and many of them pretty and very picturesque. You 
hardly see any women with bonnets. 

"On Saturday we drove in, under Arthur's Seat, to 
Edinburgh. A guard of Royal Archers met us. We 
passed by Holyrood Chapel, which is very old and full 
of interest, and Holyrood Palace, a royal-looking old place. 
The procession moved through the old town up the High 
Street, which is a most extraordinary street, from the im- 
mense height of the houses, most of them being eleven 
stories high, and different families live in each story. 
Every window was crammed full of people. They show- 
ed us Knox's house, a curious old building. There is 
also the Regent Murray's house, which is in perfect pres- 
ervation. In the old town the high church, St. Giles's, and 
in the new town St. Paul's, are very fine buildings. 

" At the barrier the Provost presented us with the keys. 
We at length reached the castle, to the top of which we 
walked. The view from both batteries is splendid, like 
a panorama in extent. We saw looking down from them 
Heriot's Hospital, a very beautiful building, founded in 
the time of James VI. of Scotland by a goldsmith and 
jeweller, whom Sir Walter Scott has made famous in his 
Fortunes of Nigel. 

"Then in carriages we proceeded the same way as be- 
fore, the pressure of the crowd being really quite alarm- 
ing, and we were both quite terrified, and the Archer Guard 
had very hard work of it, but were of the greatest use. 
They all carry a bow in one hand, and have their arrow 
stuck through their belts." 

191 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Another day, when driving past the castle of Craig 
Millar, they had a fine view of Edinburgh Castle. On 
this occasion the Queen wrote : " I forgot to say that when 
we visited it we saw the regalia, which are very old and 
curious — they were lost for a hundred years — also the 
room in which James the Sixth of Scotland and First 
of England was bom — such a very, very small room, 
with an old prayer written on the wall. We had a beau- 
tiful view of Edinburgh and the Forth." 

In 1847 the Queen visited Cambridge University, of 
which Prince Albert was now Chancellor. 

" We shot along in the train from London to Cambridge," 
said Madame Bunsen. "Every station, and bridge, and 
resting-place, and spot of shade was peopled with eager 
faces watching for the Queen, and decorated with flowers ; 
but the largest, and the brightest, and the gayest, and 
the most excited assemblage was at Cambridge station 
itself. And from thence, along the streets to Trinity 
College, the degree of ornamentation and the crowd and 
excitement were always increasing. 

"I think I never saw so many children before in one 
morning, and I felt so much moved at the spectacle of 
such a mass of life collected together and animated by one 
feeling, and that a joyous one, that I was at a loss to con- 
ceive how any woman's sides can bear the beating of so 
strong a throb as must attend the consciousness of be- 
ing the object of all that excitement, the centre of attrac- 
tion to all those eyes. But the Queen has royal strength 
of nerve. 

"We met the well-fed magistrates and yeomanry go- 
ing to await the Queen, as they desired to fetch her from 
the station and walk in procession before her to the town. 
We saw her entrance into Trinity College as we stood at 
the windows of the lodge, and the academic crowd, in 
their picturesque dresses, were as loud in rejoicing as 
any mob could have been. 

"Soon after I went with Lady Hardwicke and Lady 
Monteagle to take our places in the yet vacant Great Hall 

192 



TOURS OF THE QUEEN 

of Trinity, whither the Queen came to receive the Chan- 
cellor's address. A few minutes after she had placed 
herself on the throne (that is, an arm-chair under a can- 
opy at the raised extremity of the hall). Prince Albert, 
as Chancellor, entered at the opposite end in a beautiful 
dress of black and gold with a long train held up, and 
made a graceful bow and read an address, to which the 
Queen read an answer with peculiar emphasis, uttering 
approbation of the choice of a Chancellor made by Cam- 
bridge! Both kept their countenances admirably, and 
she only smiled upon the Prince at the close, when all 
was over, and she had let all the heads of houses kiss her 
hand, which they did with exquisite variety of awkward- 
ness, all but one or two. 

"Afterwards the Queen dined with the Vice-Chancel- 
lor in the hall of a small college, where but few, compara- 
tively, could be admitted. Later in the evening I enjoy- 
ed a walk in the beautiful garden belonging to the lodge, 
where flowers, planted and cared for in the best manner, 
combined with fine trees and picturesque architecture. 
The Queen went to a concert, contrived as an extra op- 
portunity of showing her to the public. 

"On Tuesday we had to be ready before ten at the dis- 
tribution of prizes and a performance of the Installation 
Ode in the Senate House. This was quite affecting, be- 
cause the selection of striking points is founded on facts, 
and all exaggeration and humbug are avoided. Then 
the Queen dined in the Great Hall at Trinity, and splen- 
did did the Great Hall look — three hundred and thirty 
people at various tables. We had luncheon at Downing 
College, and the Queen came thither and walked round 
to see the horticultural show, and to show herself and 
the Chancellor. After this there was a great dirmer; 
the Queen and her immediate following at a table across 
the raised end of the hall, all the rest at tables length- 
ways. I took my place between Lord Spencer and the 
Duke of Buccleuch. 

" Yesterday I went with the Duchess of Sutherland and 

u 193 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Lady Desart through the hbrary. King's Chapel, Clare 
Hall, and the beautiful avenues and gardens — green turf, 
flowers, and water, and under a sun and sky than which 
nothing could be finer. 

"At one the Queen set out through the cloisters and 
hall and library of Trinity College, passed through the 
gardens and avenues — which had been connected for the 
occasion by a temporary bridge over the river with those 
of St. John's College. We followed her through the joy- 
ous crowd grouped among the noble trees. Then the 
Queen sat down to luncheon in a tent, and we were placed 
at her table. The Queen looked, and was, well pleased. 
She was very well dressed, and most perfect in grace and 
movement. The Duchess of Sutherland's dress was a 
work of much and varied art." 

State visits were also paid to the great schools of Eng- 
land which were fitting English boys to play their part 
upon the stage of history. The college at Eton arose, 
with its towered courts and ancient chapel, ahnost at the 
feet of the Queen when she looked down from the north 
terrace over wooded slope and park and river to the play- 
ing-fields and gardens of that famous school. 

Henry VI. 's royal foundation did not, however, alone 
enjoy their countenance. They paid Harrow a visit in 
November. They were received at the gates by the head 
master, then Dr. Vaughan, and were taken by him to the 
speech room, where the boys, at that time only about 
three hundred and fifty in number, cheered as though 
they would never cease, and were rewarded by the Queen's 
commands that they should receive an extra week's holi- 
day. Accompanied by a running cortege of boys, they 
were then shown the old school, where they could exam- 
ine the many celebrated names carved upon the forms 
and panels. 

Next they descended to the library, a new building in 
strong contrast to the old Elizabethan one they had quit- 
ted, and saw the book containing a list of the speeches 
delivered by the boys on their annual great day between 

194 



TOURS OF THE QUEEN 

1792 and 1828. All the inhabitants of the hill had a pub- 
lic dinner and drank her Majesty's health in the evening. 

Not far from Harrow, on the ridges of Stanmore, is 
Bentley Priory, which was then let to Queen Adelaide. 

During September, 1848, the first visit was paid to Bal- 
moral, it having been for some time a wish cherished by 
the Queen to have a place in the Highlands where deer- 
stalking could be enjoyed by her husband and where a 
complete contrast from State and ceremony could be se- 
cured in the autumn. 

Full of joyous anticipation of the holiday, they started 
in the Victoria and Albert yacht, steaming up the east 
coast, being saluted off Boston by a French man-of-war, 
and at other points by many vessels who sailed as close 
as they could to the yacht to give it a passing cheer. It 
was considered very good work that the squadron with 
her Majesty's vessel accomplished four hundred miles in 
thirty hours. 

All the people in Aberdeen crowded to the harbor, and 
were soon delighted by seeing the Queen and her little 
children walk ashore with the Prince, to be received by 
their Lord Provost and magistrates, who presented her 
husband with the freedom of the city, the Senate of the 
college adding an expression of their homage. 

Triumphal arches met their view all the way up the 
road which passes along the northern bank of that beau- 
tiful, bright blue river, the Dee. A guard of honor from 
a Highland regiment was not then stationed at Ballater, 
but at the old castle of Braemar. 

It was the first experience of many happy days and 
many happy years spent among the beautiful mountains 
of Aberdeen, in the keen and healthy air that blew from 
the peaks of Lochnagar, over the fine forest of Balloch- 
buie and Mar. The fine and peculiar coloring of the land- 
scape was especially pleasing. The more level ground 
near the impetuous river was still clothed, despite the au- 
tumn, in green. Then came, near the edges of the woods, 
the bright russet of the fern, lining the dark verdure of 

195 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

the Scotch firs, which rose, ridge above ridge, until they 
became scanty and widespread, while the purple bloom of 
the heather was still in full flower, to be succeeded on the 
higher ranges by the cold escarpments of the gray gran- 
ite rock. 

There was already snow upon the highest hills, the 
cloud-capped backs of Drim Alban, as the backbone of 
Scotland is called in the ancient Gaelic tongue, being 
four thousand feet in height and containing corries and 
glens so hidden from the sun that summer could not whol- 
ly dissipate the snow. These heights were the haunts of 
the ptarmigan, the bird which, though gray in the sum- 
mer time, becomes white in winter, and which enjoys the 
barren and stony ground, where its curious rattling note 
may often be heard. Of grouse, it was found that the 
numbers were not great; but the deer were very numerous. 

The Queen was indefatigable and in the highest spirits, 
inspecting the castle, projecting improvements, and ex- 
ploring the hills. Bonfires glared at night on all the 
neighboring eminences. Lady Gainsborough, Lady Can- 
ning, Sir George Grey, and Lord Alfred Paget were with 
them, and Lord John Russell soon arrived to be the minis- 
ter in attendance. It became a regular custom that a 
minister should always be in the house during the stay 
of the Queen in Scotland, and the minister's room, now 
ornamented with prints of the many famous occupants 
of the chamber, is on the ground floor, not far from the 
principal entrance. 

The tours in Scotland had included also the beautiful 
western coast. I can remember an encampment of High- 
landers who, fully equipped by the Duke of Argyll, Camp- 
bell of Islay, and others, had their tents pitched on the 
lawn between Inverary Castle and the sea, where, just 
off the little town, the royal yacht and attendant vessels 
were moored. The rain, so common in the district, re- 
frained from falling, as had also been the case at a sim- 
ilar reception given to her at Lord Breadalbane's beau- 
tiful place of Taymouth, where Prince Albert had his first 

196 



TOURS OF THE QUEEN 

lessons in Highland deer-stalking under Campbell of Mon- 
zie. It was then that the phrase of "Queen's weather" 
first came into use, often repeated on many a joyous oc- 
casion throughout her lifetime, for it was indeed singular 
how far more often it was sunshine than cloud whenever 
she appeared in public. 

The drawback to the beautiful west of Scotland lies 
in its dampness. It shares this drawback with Wales and 
other parts of the west of England. The coloring, owing 
to the moisture in the air, is very soft — russets, purples, 
and greens being all far softer in tint and richer in hue 
than in the drier atmospheres in the east. There the vis- 
ion sees details far more clearly, and everything seems 
sharper and brighter. 

The valley of the Dee has a dry climate, and is situated 
eight hundred feet above the sea. The public road which 
runs along the valley traverses a bank opposite Balmor- 
al, and, in a great measure, overlooks the grounds of the 
Queen's residence. Plantations, however, planted at the 
end of the forties, have now made the " policies," as the 
Scotch call the area immediately surrounding a house, 
far more private than they were. Indeed, all the hills 
upon the estate that the Queen bought were at once thick- 
ly planted. Scotch fir and birch and wood natural to the 
district quickly rose to mingle their younger green with 
the darker shades of the pines of the older forests, which 
she could see from her windows. 

Of Balmoral the Queen wrote : " It is a pretty little cas- 
tle in the old Scottish style. There is a picturesque tower 
and garden in front, with a high wooded hill. There is a 
nice little hall with a billiard-room ; next to it is the din- 
ing-room. Up-stairs, immediately to the right, is our sit- 
ting-room, a fine, large room ; then our bedroom, opening 
into it a little dressing-room which is Albert's. Opposite, 
down a few steps, are the children's and Miss Hildyard's 
three rooms. The ladies lived below and the gentlemen 
up-stairs. After lunch we walked out and went to the 
top of the wooded hill opposite ovir windows, where there 

197 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

is a cairn, and up which there is a pretty winding path. 
The view from here is charming. To the left the beau- 
tiful hills surrounding Lochnagar; to the right the glen 
along which the Dee winds, and the wooded hills which 
reminded me very much of the Thiiringerwald. It was so 
calm, and so solitary. It did one good as one gazed around ; 
the pure mountain air was most refreshing. All seemed 
to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the 
world and its sad turmoils. The scenery is wild and yet 
not desolate, and everything looks much more prosperous 
and cultivated than at Laggan. Then the soil is delight- 
fully dry. We walked beside the beautiful, rapid Dee, which 
is close behind the house. The view of the hiUs towards 
Invercauld is exceedingly fine. When I came in at half- 
past six, Albert went out to try his luck with some stags." 
Another day they had a deer drive. "Several gillies 
were with us," wrote the Queen. "They took us up a 
beautiful path winding through trees and heather in the 
Ballochbuie, but when we had gone about a mile they 
discovered deer. A ' council of war ' was held in a whis- 
per, and we turned back and went the whole way down 
again and rode along to the keeper's lodge, where we 
turned up the glen immediately below Craig Daign, through 
a beautiful part of the wood, and went along the track 
till we came to the foot of the craig, where we all dismount- 
ed. We scrambled up an almost perpendicular place to 
where there was a little box made of hurdles and inter- 
woven with branches of fir and heather about five feet 
in height. There we seated ourselves with Bertie [Prince 
of Wales], Macdonald lying in the heather near us watch- 
ing and quite concealed. Some had gone round to beat, 
and others, again, were at a little distance. We sat quite 
still and sketched a little, I doing the landscape and some 
trees, Albert drawing Macdonald as he lay there. This 
lasted for nearly on hour, when Albert fancied he heard a 
distant sound, and in a few minutes Macdonald whispered 
that he saw a stag, and that Albert should wait and take 
a steady aim. We then heard them coming past." 

198 



CHAPTER VII 

STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

The first the Queen saw of Green Erin was the indented 
coast about the harbor of Cork in August, 1849. On going 
on deck about eight o'clock in the evening, she saw bon- 
fires on the hills, and admired the harbor. The following 
day was gray. The ships saluted. "The landing-place 
was very prettily decorated," she wrote, "and covered 
with people, and yachts, ships, and boats crowding all 
around. The two members, Messrs. Roche and Power, 
as well as other gentlemen, including the Roman Catholic 
and Protestant clergymen and the members of the yacht 
club, presented addresses; after which, to give the people 
the satisfaction of calling the place Queenstown, in honor 
of its being the first spot on which I set foot upon Irish 
ground, I stepped on shore, amid the roar of cannon and 
the enthusiastic shouts of the people. We immediately 
re-embarked and proceeded up the River Lee towards Cork. 
It is extremely pretty and richly wooded, and reminded 
me of the Tamar. The first feature of interest we passed 
was a little bathing-place called Monkstown, and later 
Blackrock Castle, at which point we stopped to receive 
a salmon and a very pretty address from the poor fisher- 
men of Blackrock. As we approached the city we saw 
people streaming in on foot, on horseback, and many in 
jaunting-cars. When we reached Cork, the Fairy again 
lay alongside, and we received all the addresses: first 
from the Mayor and Corporation (I knighted the Mayor 
immediately afterwards), then from the Protestant bishop 
and clergy, from the Roman Catholic bishop and clergy, 
the Lord-Lieutenant of the county, sheriffs, and others. 

199 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

The two judges, who were holding their courts, also came 
on board in tlieir robes. After all this was over, we landed 
and walked some few paces on to where Lord Bandon's 
carriage was ready to receive us. The ladies went with 
us, and Lord Bandon and the general rode on each side of 
the carriage. The Mayor preceded us, and many (Lord 
Listowel among the number) followed on horseback or in 
carriages. The 12th Lancers escorted us, and the pen- 
sioners and infantry lined the streets. I cannot describe 
our route, but it will suf&ce to say that it took two hours, 
that we drove through the principal streets — twice through 
some of them — that they were densely crowded, decorated 
with flowers and triumphal arches, that the heat and dust 
were great, that we passed by the new college which is build- 
ing — one of the four which are ordered by Act of Parlia- 
ment — that our reception was most enthusiastic, and that 
everything went off to perfection, and was very well ar- 
ranged. Cork is not at all like an English town, and looks 
rather foreign. The crowd is noisy, excitable, but a very 
good-humored one, running and pushing about, and 
laughing, talking, and shrieking. The beauty of the 
women is very remarkable, and struck us much; such 
beautiful dark eyes and hair, and such fine teeth. Al- 
most every third woman was pretty; some remarkably 
so. They wear no bonnets, and generally long blue 
cloaks. The men are very poorly, often raggedly, dressed, 
and many wear blue coats and short breeches with blue 
stockings." 

They went afterwards to Kingstown, where the Queen 
said she had an excellent salmon for dinner. " Albert de- 
cided on going to Waterford, ten miles up the river, in the 
Fairy with the boys, and as I felt giddy and tired, I pre- 
ferred remaining quietly on board sketching." She was 
delighted with the view of the Wicklow hills from the Vice- 
regal Lodge, to which she afterwards went. 

Next the Queen went to Carton, the Duke of Leinster's 
fine house, not far from Dublin. Nothing could be pleas- 
anter or more typical of the fine old Irish gentleman than 

200 




THE PRINCE CONSORT IN THE UNIFORM OF A FIELD MARSHAL 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

was the Duke of Leinster. He wore the often-folded high 
white necktie, blue coat and brass buttons, and buff waist- 
coat of the times of her Majesty's predecessors. He had 
a smooth-shaven face save for a little side-whisker, blue 
eyes, a straight, full nose, and the most charming and 
benevolent of expressions. He was courtesy itself, and 
was a great lover of his country, loyal to the backbone to 
his sovereign, and he was bitterly disappointed when in 
the sixties he saw some of his people going across his park 
to join a silly and ignorant attempt at insurrection. 

The Queen admired the Duke's house and garden, where 
there were two bands playing. She describes it as a formal 
French garden, with rows of Irish yews, and says : " The 
Duke is one of the kindest and best of men. After luncheon 
we walked out and saw some of the country people dance 
jigs, which was very amusing. The Irish is quite differ- 
ent from the Scottish reel, not so animated, and the steps 
different, but very droll. The people are very poorly 
dressed, the men in thick coats, and the women in shawls, 
other men in blue coats and short breeches and blue stock- 
ings. There were three old pipers playing. The Irish 
pipe is very different from the Scottish. They do not blow 
into it, but merely have small bellows which they move 
with the arm. We walked around the pleasure grounds, 
and after this got into a carriage with the Duke and Duchess, 
our ladies and gentlemen following in a large jaunting-car, 
and the people riding, running, and driving with us. The 
Duke is so kind to them that a word from him will make 
them do anything. It was very hot, and yet the people 
kept running the whole way, and in the thick woollen coats 
which it seems they always wear here." 

The Queen was sorry to leave Dublin, and always re- 
membered her first reception at the capital of Ireland with 
the greatest pleasure, looking forward to visiting it again. 
"We stood," she says, "on the paddle-box, as we slowly 
steamed out of Queenstown amid the cheers of thousands 
and thousands, and salutes from all the ships. I waved my 
handkerchief as a parting acknowledgment of their loyalty. ' ' 

201 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

The experience of the voyage northward to Belfast was 
unfortunately not a pleasant one. " The weather got worse 
and worse/' she says, "and blew a real gale. Though 
we had only two minutes' row in the barge to go on board 
the Fairy, there was such a swell at the getting in and out, 
and the rolling and tossing of the boat were very disagree- 
able. We had to keep in a little pavilion, as the squalls 
were so violent as to cover the Fairy with spray. As we 
reached Belfast the sun fortunately came out. A very 
fine landing - place was arranged, where thousands were 
assembled. Lord Londonderry came on board, and nu- 
merous deputations with addresses, including the Mayor, 
whom I knighted, and Lady Londonderry and her 
daughter also came on board. We got into their car- 
riage. Lord Londonderry himself on the rumble behind 
with two sergeant footmen, Renwick and Birbage, both 
very tall, large men, and the three must have been 
far from comfortable. The town was beautifully dec- 
orated with flowers, hangings, and fine triumphal arches. 
The galleries full of people, and the reception very 
hearty. 

" I have all along forgotten to say that the favorite motto 
written up on most of the arches, and in every place was, 
' Ceade mille failte,' which means a hundred thousand 
welcomes in Irish, which is very like Gaelic. 

" We passed through several of the streets, and returned 
to the place of embarkation. Belfast is a fine town with 
some good buildings; for instance, the Bank and Ex- 
change. It is considered the Liverpool and Manchester of 
Ireland. The constabulary are a remarkably fine body of 
men, thirteen thousand in number altogether in Ireland, all 
Irish and chiefly Roman Catholic. We left amid immense 
cheering, and reached the Victoria and Albert at half-past 
six. Many bonfires were lighted on the surrounding hills 
and coast. I intend to create Bertie Earl of Dublin as a 
compliment to the town and country, though he is bom 
with several Scotch ones (belonging to the heirs to the 
Scottish throne, which he has inherited from James VI. 

202 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

of Scotland and I. of England), and this was one of my 
father's titles." 

In after-times the Queen had another opportunity of 
gratifying her wish that a son should be associated with 
the sister kingdom by conferring upon Prince Arthur the 
title of Duke of Connaught ; and, as a visit to Ireland was 
among the first of her public progresses, as a ceremonial 
journey would have been called in Elizabeth's time, so also 
the very last was to that land whose gallant soldiers had 
proved their devotion on the Vaal and the Tugela. Again, 
and for the last time, the cheers of Irishmen on Irish soil 
gladdened her heart, and the reception given to her light- 
ened the load of State cares and the anxieties and the sor- 
rows of the last year of her reign. 

We must now speak of the Great Exhibition of 1851, 
the preparations for which largely occupied the Queen's 
attention throughout the preceding year. 

The Crystal Palace was Prince Albert's idea. Eng- 
lislimen had not been too well disposed to some of the 
useful plans he had proposed for the improvement of their 
work in arts and crafts. Taste was at a very low ebb, 
and the style now called " Early Victorian " is not one 
that one can desire to be followed in qre^s, ornament, design, 
or any production requiring beauffif as well as solidity. 
We had much to learn from our neighbors. But we showed 
the greatest jealousy and dislike of anything that os- 
tensibly came from any foreign-born prince residing among 
ourselves. So, when the plan was first mentioned that 
foreigners should be invited to show their goods along 
with our own, there was a cry that it would not be good 
for our trade, and the residents of Knightsbridge declared 
that they would not have a big conservatory placed be- 
tween themselves and their view of the serpentine water. 
So it was resolved that the building should only be placed 
there for one short summer season. But it was to be a 
splendid thing. 

The man who assisted Prince Albert the most in regard 
to the building was Paxton, who was knighted, and be- 

203 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

came Sir Joseph. He had been a gardener's boy, and 
had attracted the notice of the Duke of Devonshire when 
working in his gardens at Chiswick, tying up a peach- 
tree. The Duke hked the looks of the lad, and asked him 
about his home and family, and was struck with his man- 
ner and promoted him. Paxton lost no chance, and from 
his knowledge of the great conservatories at Kew and 
Chatsworth, proposed an enlarged edition of such a build- 
ing for the Great Exhibition. The idea was adopted, 
and an immense greenhouse, which received the name 
of the Crystal Palace, rose from the grass of the Park. 

It was nearly one thousand feet long and nearly seventy 
feet high, with a high transept of over one hundred feet in 
height. Here was held the huge Fair, an old English 
word, always used in the colonies for shows of all kinds, 
when provinces or states desire to prove their wealth, and 
compare themselves with their neighbors, or with those of 
other lands far away, to bargain and make sales. The 
aspect of the gigantic glass house was beautiful. The 
iron framework that supported the light galleries and roof 
and the columned vistas was painted a cobalt blue. The 
hangings were mostly of scarlet. Fountains played in 
the nave, which was bright with white statuary, colored 
porcelains, rich stuffs, and beyond all loomed up a great 
ebn-tree in full foliage, included under the dazzling roof, 
while the crowds, delighted with the novelty of the whole 
scene, thronged the clean pine-wood floor. 

The result was not achieved without the necessity to 
combat many prejudices, many misunderstandings, and 
many fears of a most unnecessary character. 

"Just at present," the Prince said, "1 am more dead 
than alive, from overwork. The opponents of the Ex- 
hibition work with might and main to throw all the old 
women into a panic and to drive myself crazy. The 
strangers, they give out, are certain to commence a 
thorough revolution here, to murder Victoria and myself, 
to proclaim the Red Republic in England. The plague 
is certain to ensue from the confluence of such vast mul- 

204 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

titudes, and to swallow up those whom the increased price 
of everything has not already swept away. For all this 
I am to be responsible, and against all this I have to make 
efficient provision!'' 

But the Queen had no fears of the kind, and delighted 
to see the progress made with the beautiful building which 
rose steadily — the blue painted iron shafts, with their 
transparent interspaces, growing higher and higher, and 
the long arched roof of ribbed glass in the centre giving 
back in ever fuller and fuller volumes the rays of the sun. 
Long lines of banners floated along the roofs. She watched 
this as she drove in Hyde Park, and was proud of it as 
mainly the work of her husband. Meantime, thousands 
of packing-cases were being carted from the end of every 
railway line in London in great wagons, and were being 
unpacked after being carried inside the big glass house. 

At last everything was so far arranged as to allow of the 
private inspection of what had been done. " We remained 
two hours and a half," said the Queen, " and I came back 
quite beaten, and my head bewildered, from the myriads of 
beautiful and wonderful things which now quite dazzle 
one's eyes. Such efforts have been made, and our people 
have shown such taste in their manufactures! All owing 
to this Great Exhibition and to Albert — all to him! 

" We went up into the gallery, and the sight from there 
of the numerous courts full of all sorts of objects of art, 
manufacture, etc., was quite marvellous. The noise was 
overpowering, for so much was going on everywhere, and 
from twelve thousand to twenty thousand people were en- 
gaged in arranging all sorts of things. My poor Albert 
is terribly fagged. All day long some question or other, 
some little difficulty or hitch, all of which he took with the 
greatest quiet and good temper. Great as is his triumph, 
he never says a word about it, but labors to the last, feel- 
ing quietly satisfied in the country's glory, and in having 
gone on steadily in spite of the immense difficulties and 
opposition." 

Although there was nothing to justify the idea that 

205 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

bands of foreigners had come only to make a disturbance 
— or, still less, that any disorder would have been tolerated 
by the English multitude — the most unaccountable amount 
of anxiety in reference to what might happen continued. 
But the 1st of May, 1851, came and went, to add a perfect 
triumph to the country's previous displays of the self- 
government of the British people. 

The Queen in her diary said: "The great event has 
taken place. A complete and beautiful triumph, and a 
glorious and touching sight; one which I shall ever be 
proud of for my beloved Albert and my country. Yes, 
it is a day which makes my heart swell with pride and 
glory and thankfulness. We began it with the tenderest 
greetings for the birthday of our dear little Arthur. At 
breakfast there was nothing but congratulations. Mamma 
and Victor were there, and all the children and our guests. 
Our humble gifts of toys were added to by a beautiful little 
bronze replica of the Amazon statue at Berlin from the 
Prince of Prussia, a beautiful paper-knife from the Princess, 
and a nice little clock from mamma. 

"The Park presented a wonderful spectacle — crowds 
streaming through it, carriages and troops passing, quite 
like the Coronation Day. And for me the same anxiety — 
no, much greater anxiety, on account of my beloved Albert. 

"The day was bright, and all bustle and excitement. 
At half-past eleven the whole procession in State carriages 
was in motion. The Green Park and Hyde Park were one 
densely crowded mass of human beings, in the highest 
good-humor and most enthusiastic. I never saw Hyde 
Park look as it did — people as far as the eye could reach. 

" A little rain fell just as we started, but before we came 
near the Crystal Palace the sun shone and gleamed upon 
the gigantic edifice, upon which the flags of all the nations 
were floating. We drove up Rotten Row, and got out at 
the entrance on that side. The glimpse of the transept 
through the iron gates, the waving palms, the flowers, 
statues, myriads of people filling the galleries and seats 
around, and the flourish of trumpets as we entered, gave 

206 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

us a sensation which I can never forget, and I felt much 
moved. We went for a moment to a Httle side room, where 
we left our shawls, and where we found manrnia and Mary 
[Duchess of Teck], and outside which were standing the 
other princes. 

"In a few seconds we proceeded, Albert leading me, 
having Vicky at his hand, and Bertie holding mine. The 
sight as we came to the middle, where the steps and chair, 
which I did not sit on, were placed, and the beautiful crystal 
fountain just in front of it, was magical — so vast, so glo- 
rious, so touching. One felt, as so many did who I have 
since spoken to, filled with devotion, more so than by any 
service I have ever heard. 

" The tremendous cheers, the joy expressed in every face, 
the immensity of the building, the mixture of palms, flow- 
ers, trees, statues, fountains ; the organs, with two hundred 
instruments and six hundred voices, which sounded like 
nothing, and my beloved husband, the author of this 
peace festival which united the industry of aU the nations 
of the earth — all this was moving indeed, and it was, and 
is, a day to live forever. God bless my dearest Albert! 
God bless my dearest country, which has shown itself so 
great to-day! One felt so grateful to the great God, who 
seemed to pervade all and to bless all. 

"The only event it in the slightest degree reminded 
me of was the Coronation; but this day's festival was a 
thousand times superior — in fact, it is unique. The en- 
thusiasm and cheering, too, were much more touching, 
for in a church naturally all is silent. 

"Albert left my side after 'God save the Queen' had 
been sung, and at the head of the commissioners — a curi- 
ous assemblage of political and distinguished men — 
read me the report, which is a long one, and to which I 
read a short answer, after which the Archbishop of Can- 
terbury offered up prayer, followed by the 'Hallelujah 
Chorus,' during which the Chinese mandarin came for- 
ward and made his obeisance. 

"This concluded, the procession began. It was beauti- 

207 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

fully arranged and of great length, the prescribed order 
being exactly adliered to. The nave was full, which had 
not been intended, but still there was no difficulty, and the 
whole long walk from one end to the other was made in 
the midst of continued and deafening cheers and waving 
of handkerchiefs. Every one's face was bright and smil- 
ing, many with tears in their eyes. Many Frenchmen 
called out, ' Vive la Reiael' 

"The return was equally satisfactory; the crowd most 
enthusiastic, the order perfect. We reached the palace at 
twenty minutes past one, and went out on the balcony 
and were loudly cheered. 

" That I felt happy and thankful, I need not say ; proud 
of all that had passed, of my darling husband's success, 
and of the behavior of my good people. I was more im- 
pressed than I could say by the scene ; it was one that will 
never he effaced from my memory, and never will be from 
that of any one who witnessed it. Albert's name is im- 
mortalized, and wicked and absurd reports of danger of 
every kind which a set of people, soi disant fashionables 
and the most violent protectionists, spread are silenced." 

Lord Pahnerston wrote to Lord Normanby: "Yester- 
day is a topic of thought and of words with everybody in 
London. It was indeed a glorious day for England, and 
the way in which the royal ceremony went off was calculat- 
ed to inspire humility in the minds of the representatives 
of foreign governments, and to strike despair into the 
breasts of those, if any such there be, who may desire to 
excite confusion in this country. 

" There must have been nearer a million than any other 
number of people who turned out to post themselves as they 
could to see some parts of the show, and Mayne, the head 
of the police, said he thought there were about thirty-four 
thousand in the glass building. 

" The Queen, her husband, her eldest son and daughter 
gave themselves in full confidence to this multitude, with no 
other guard than one of honor and the accustomed supply 
of stick-handed constables to assist the crowd in keeping 

208 




THE PRINCE OF WALES AND PRINCE ALFRED IN 1S49 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

order among themselves. Of course there were in re- 
serve, at proper stations, ample means of repressing any 
disorder if any had been attempted; but nothing was 
brought out and shown beyond what I have mentioned, 
and it was impossible for the invited guests of a lady's 
Drawing-room to have conducted themselves with more 
perfect propriety than did this sea of human beings. 

" The royal party were received with continued acclama- 
tion as they passed through the Park and round the Ex- 
hibition house, and it was also very interesting to witness 
the cordial greeting given to the Duke of Wellington. I 
was just behind him and Anglesey, during the procession 
round the building, and he was accompanied by an in- 
cessant running fire of applause from the men, and waving 
of handkerchiefs and kissing of hands from the women, 
who lined the pathway of the march during the three-quar- 
ters of an hour that it took us to march round. The build- 
ing itself is far more worth seeing than anything in it. 
How many of its contents are worth admiration?" 

Six million people are said to have visited the fair. 
Among others the Queen notes " a most hale old woman 
who had walked all the way from Cornwall, and who was 
near crying on my looking at her." 

There is no doubt that from this time dated a great im- 
provement in art, which is very palpable as we examine the 
earlier and later productions of the reign. Dinginess, the 
absence of due proportion, heaviness of design, garish- 
ness of color, all marked the earlier time. The bringing 
together of French, German, and Italian, and other 
European works of art, showed us where we were behind- 
hand ; while, on the other hand, we compared very favor- 
ably with foreigners in all the heavier and more durable 
products, especially machinery. In the making of china, 
too. Stoke was soon shown to be by no means inferior to 
Dresden and Sevres. 

The colonies all made a fine show at the Exhibition, 
chiefly of raw material. Malachite worthy of Russia was 
exhibited from South Australia. Enormous masses of 
o 209 



VICTORIA R. 1. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

gold came from Australia, splendid iron from New Zealand, 
and plumbago or black lead, iron ores, coal, wheat, and 
fur from Canada. 

As everybody was naturally anxious to make the most 
of the opportunity, the Queen had to meet about three 
hundred exhibitors one morning, all of whom were desirous 
to display their wares. She went through all the depart- 
ments of the south and northwestern galleries in detail. 
The excitement among the exhibitors was very great, 
and one of them actually fainted. The kindness with 
which her Majesty conversed with those whose produc- 
tions interested her pleased them greatly. 

One of the greatest achievements in mechanics was the 
Nasmyth steam-hanmier. It was five tons in weight, and 
when raised came down with tremendous force, but was 
nevertheless so perfectly under control that the workmen 
were in the habit of putting a nut under the hammer, 
and cracking it without injuring the kernel. It is only 
quite lately that any other means have been found to 
give the necessary power, and it may be said that 
half the mechanical triumphs of the engineers could 
not have been carried out without this engine of force, 
which was so admired for the first time by the general 
public in 1 85 1, 

The Queen and Prince bought many beautiful works 
in painting and sculpture, as well as in furniture. It is 
curious to note the commencement of modern inventions, 
one having been a submarine boat, the precursor of those 
which in America and France are now awakening so much 
curiosity and attention. This one was driven by a screw 
propeller; its shape was that of a broad-backed carp, and 
the inventor said that it would sink under water, swim any 
distance, and rise again at the will of a crew bold enough 
to trust themselves in this moving diving-bell. The in- 
ventor naturally did not wish to say too much about his 
plan, but it recalled the fact that a certain smuggler, named 
Captain Johnson, had planned to rescue Napoleon Bona- 
parte from St. Helena by the aid of a submarine boat, and 

210 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

was only prevented from making the experiment by the 
death of the captive. 

A costume ball given at Buckingham Palace later in the 
year greatly occupied the minds of those who received in- 
vitations. It was a ball intended to give impetus to the 
trade of London, and was descriptive of the time of the 
Stuarts. It is chronicled that Mrs. Burdett-Coutts was 
one of the earliest arrivals, wearing a broad band of em- 
eralds and diamonds, after the manner of a gentleman's 
baldric, over the right shoulder to the left hip. 

The Queen and Prince were seated in the throne-room 
when the company entered and made their bow. The 
guests walked in procession up the whole length of the 
room, made obeisance before the throne, and passed into the 
picture gallery. Lord Clifden, then Leopold Ellis, her- 
ald-at-arms, followed by four pages of four national qua- 
drilles — Lord Vaughan, Mr. Seymour Egerton, Lord Rich- 
ard Grosvenor, and Mr. Eraser — entered, and joined the 
national quadrilles assembled in the next room. The 
orchestra then played a march, and a Spanish quadrille 
entered, preceded by their page. Then came the Erench, 
the Scotch, and the English, who first danced together, 
the others after them. They then formed up in line and 
made their reverence. 

The Queen and Prince now went to the ballroom, where 
another quadrille preceded a polonaise or walk round the 
room, the Queen dancing with the Prince, the Duke of 
Cambridge, and Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar. The 
w'aving feathers, flowing curls, slashed sleeves and ruffles, 
picturesque baldrics, and bright coats, made a very pretty 
scene. 

At 12.15 Lord Westminster, the Lord Steward, showed 
the way to the State supper. Dancing again took place 
afterwards, a Highland reel being danced by the Scottish 
ladies and gentlemen. 

The Queen wore a gray watered silk trimmed with 
gold and silver lace, with bows of rose-colored ribbons 
fastened by bunches of diamonds. The front of the dress 

211 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

opened ; underskirt, cloth of gold and silver fringe. Shoes 
and gloves embroidered with roses and fleurs-de-lis in gold. 
On the front of the dress large pear-shaped emeralds ; head- 
dress, small diamond crown and emeralds, her hair plaited 
with pearls. 

Prince Consort wore a rich orange coat, sleeves turned 
up with crimson velvet, pink epaulette on shoulder, bal- 
dric in silver; breeches, crimson velvet, pink satin bows, 
and gold lace; stockings, lavender silk. These dresses 
were all of British manufacture. Hat with white ostrich 
feathers around. 

The Duke of Wellington's costume was that of a gen- 
eral of the period of the restoration of Charles II. Scarlet 
cloth frock coat, double rows of gold lace, white satin 
slashed sleeves, lace of gold, point lace collar and ruffles, 
blue velvet trunks, broad gold lace seams slashed with 
white satin, point lace at knees (which at this time were 
sadly bent), crimson silk sash, gold tassels, gold sword- 
belt. Order of the Garter, bows of point lace, hat with white 
and blue plumes, and the collar of the Golden Fleece, He 
did not wear the long curls of the time, appearing only in 
his own gray hairs. 

By the irony of fate, the year in which all nations were 
invited to join in the peaceful rivalries of art and science 
in Hyde Park saw discord in the government at home, 
owing to the events in France, where Louis Napoleon had 
detennined, at all costs, to make himself Emperor of the 
French. 

The lady who was to share his throne for eighteen years, 
Madame Eugenie de Montijo, had been, in July, 1851, 
the much-admired guest at one of Lady Palmerston's 
parties at Cambridge House, Piccadilly, now the Naval 
and Military Club. She was, as Malmesbury noted in 
his journal, very handsome, a beautiful skin and figure. 
Her grandmother was Scotch, a Mrs. Kirkpatrick, which 
accounted for her lovely complexion and the auburn light 
in her hair. 

Louis Napoleon had been so much in England himself 

212 




PRINCE ALBERT IN 185I 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

that he thoroughly knew the strength of this country, and 
within two years' time of his destroying the Presidency 
he w^as our ally against Russia. He had determined 
on the famous "stroke of State/' or coup d'etat, an event 
which found in England few sympathizers, although, as 
was afterwards proved, it brought to England the official 
friendship of the French government, of which he became 
the autocratic ruler. 

The London season saw a State visit to the Guildhall 
in July, 1 85 1, a ball and supper being given. Malmes- 
bury says: "I hear that the people were very ridiculous 
at the dance last night. Some ladies passed by the Queen 
at a run, never courtesying at all, and then returning to 
stare at her. Some of the gentlemen passed with their 
arms round the ladies' waists, others holding them by the 
hand and at arm's-length, as if they were going to dance a 
minuet. One man kissed his hand to the Queen as he 
went by, which sent her Majesty off into a fit of laughter. " 

The Queen greatly admired the fine room. Indeed, the 
great banquets in the ancient halls of the City companies, 
with their panelling of oak, their decorated galleries, their 
open roof, and the fine old silver plate belonging to many 
of them, together with their lavish hospitality and ample 
recognition given so generously to the claims of charity, 
form a pleasant survival of the old days. England's old 
custom of the passing of the loving-cup, seen nowhere else, 
still survives at these gatherings, where formerly — al- 
though not so frequently now — old English songs fitted 
to the feast might also be heard. 

One of the greatest of the provincial municipalities, that 
of Manchester, was also visited by the Queen and Prince 
Albert in 1851, after seeing Liverpool, where they viewed 
from the water the line of docks and the St. George's Hall, 
which was not finished. They stayed at Worsley Hall, 
and thence went in a barge along the famous Bridgwater 
Canal, the boats of the Manchester and Salford regatta 
clubs following, and the banks being crowded with people. 
At Peel Park, Salford's Mayor (Sir Thomas Agnew) re- 

213 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

ceived them, and eighty-two thousand children from the 
twin cities sang the national anthem. Towards the close 
of the hymn the Queen arrived at the centre of the or- 
chestra, and was visible to the whole of this vast and 
youthful crowd. 

Manchester was entered under the Victoria Bridge, and 
Mr. John Potter, in his mayoral robes, received the Queen. 
The Queen was presented with an address, which, after 
complimenting her on the moral influence of her private 
virtues, proceeded to acknowledge the blessings which, 
under Divine Providence, had attended the public policy 
which, with her Majesty's willing sanction and approval, 
had been steadily pursued during the whole of her be- 
neficent reign. "The effect of that policy," it went on 
to state, "based on the full and enlightened recognition 
of a wisely regulated freedom, was strikingly manifest in 
the generally flourishing condition of the realm and the 
increased content and happiness of her Majesty's people. 
We believe," it added, " that our country now enjoys more 
abundant elements of social welfare and of national pros- 
perity and strength than at any former epoch of its his- 
tory ; demonstrating that the free institutions under which 
we live, and the free commercial policy which, under your 
Majesty's wise and benign auspices, has been recently 
consolidated in your Majesty's dominions, and are the 
surest means of promoting the firmest foundations on 
which can rest the progressive happiness, peace, and pros- 
perity of nations." 

The Queen read her reply in a clear and ringing voice, 
which was heard all over the hall of the Exchange, in 
which the ceremony took place. "I rejoice to have been 
enabled," she said, "to visit your borough — the capital 
of one of the most important branches of industry car- 
ried on in my dominions; and I have derived the highest 
gratification from the favorable account j'-ou are enabled 
to give me of the condition of my people, with which, in 
this large manufacturing district, you must be intimately 
acquainted." 

214 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

In 1852, when an Empire of France was being created 
for the second time, the great soldier antagonist of the 
first Emperor died. 

WeUington had been able to pursue a wonderfully ac- 
tive life at his age of eighty, but the "Iron Duke" sud- 
denly found his strength failing him, and he died peace- 
fully in his arm-chair at Walmer. The body was taken 
to London, and lay in State at Chelsea Hospital. The long 
hall was darkened, and was hung with black cloth, re- 
Ueved only by the banners on the walls — trophies of the 
battles of the dead. Guardsmen, leaning on the stocks 
of their muskets, the muzzles resting on the floor, stood 
at short distances apart on each side of the central pas- 
sage. The bier and coffin, covered with the insignia of 
the orders he had won, with the "batons eight of high 
command" — for Wellington was a Field Marshal in the 
army lists of eight armies, seven of these giving him this 
honorary rank in foreign hosts allied in war with our- 
selves — all these, with the cocked hat and sword, were 
seen on the coffin. Around it large candles shone, and 
officers in scarlet and steel guarded their lost commander. 

The funeral procession from Chelsea to St. Paul's was 
a splendid national tribute to the leader who never lost 
an English gun, and had taken more from the enemy 
with fewer men than had any soldier of his time. The 
towering bronze car on which the coffin was placed was 
adorned with dazzling trophies of arms. Representative 
detachments of every available regiment in oiu* armies 
followed where the Field Marshal's charger, with empty 
saddle, was led. The roll of the muffled drums incessantly 
accompanied the solemn march of the immense proces- 
sion, until the final ceremony left the old hero sleeping 
in St. Paul's. 

"Yes, let the feet of those he fought for. 
And the voice of those he wrought for. 
Echo round his bones forevermore," 

as Tennyson sang in an ode that spoke in melody from 

215 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

a heart resolved to do all that pen could accomplish to 
keep his countrymen alive to the lessons given by Well- 
ington, that England must never allow her "cannon to 
moulder on the seaward wall." 

Very soon there were clouds in the East, and the Em- 
peror Nicholas, who had been such a favorite in Eng- 
land when he came to see the Queen, and towered in mag- 
nificent stature over all the Court, was, as the business 
Englishman said, "at a discount," because he was sup- 
posed to desire to have Constantinople for himself and 
destroy what was called "the balance of power in Eu- 
rope." The quarrel had begun about the holy places in 
Jerusalem, and is too intricate to do more than to be in- 
dicated here. But the discussion became dangerous, and 
Russia threatened. English officers were allowed to as- 
sist the garrisons of Danubian frontier towns, like Silis- 
tria, in case they were attacked. 

The main mover in the British Cabinet against Rus- 
sian aggression was Palmerston. Russia moved on. It 
was not with her now, she said, a question of influence 
at the holy places. She must have a protectorate to 
shield Turkish subjects who professed the orthodox 
faith. The Whig government did not wish for war ; it was 
said afterwards they drifted into it. Palmerston alone 
was hearty and confident in his determination to check 
Russia by war. There was a good deal of dissension in 
the Cabinet. On one occasion he angrily declared aloud 
that he " would not be dragged through the mud by Johnny 
Russell." Much negotiation had to be carried on between 
the members of the government before the wheels would 
work at all. 

On February 22, 1852, Lord John Russell resigned. The 
condition of affairs did not impress Baron Stockmar with 
respect. As an able critic, very conversant with English 
affairs, yet looking at them from an external point of view, 
he thought the Coalition government of Whigs and Peel- 
ites would not last. 

As a compromise between Lord John Russell on the one 

216 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

side and Lord Palmerston on the other, the Earl of Aber- 
deen was, in December, intrusted with the duty of forming 
a Liberal govermnent, Palmerston consenting to accept 
the Home Office, and Lord John Russell going to the For- 
eign Office. 

The Russian Emperor issued a manifesto in which he 
said that the Turkish proclamation, filled with lying ac- 
cusations, left the Emperor no alternative but to compel 
Turkey by force of arms to respect treaties. He wrote to 
the Queen, who replied that a painful impression had been 
produced upon her by the occupation of the principalities. 
"For the last four months," she continued, "this has 
caused a general commotion in Europe, which is calculated 
to lead to ulterior events which I should deeply deplore in 
cormnon with your Majesty; but, as I know that your Maj- 
esty's intentions towards the Porte are friendly and disin- 
terested, I have every confidence that you will find means 
to give expression and effect to them, so as to avoid those 
grave dangers which, I assure you, all my efforts will be 
directed to prevent. 

" The impartial attention with which I have followed the 
causes which up to this time have led to the failure of all 
attempts at conciliation, leaves me with the firm conviction 
that there exists no real obstacle which cannot be removed 
or promptly surmounted with your Majesty's assistance." 

Menschikoff, the Russian Ambassador, left Constanti- 
nople on May 21, 1853. The Russian army crossed the 
frontier stream, the Pruth, in July. The Porte declared 
war. The first battle occurred at Oltenitza. The Turks 
evacuated the northern bank of the Danube, except at Kala- 
fat. Russia's first great success was gained by a sudden 
attack upon the Turkish fleet in the harbor of Sinope in the 
Black Sea, destroying completely all the ships lying before 
the town. 

The Russian attack upon Sinope made peace practically 
impossible, people being so angry that when Lord Palm- 
erston's disgust at Lord Aberdeen's disinclination for war 
made him for a time resign, they were ready to vent their 

217 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

anger on Prince Albert, supposing that he was not suf- 
ficiently bellicose. 

On December loth. Lord Palmerston wrote to Lord Aber- 
deen : " Will you allow me to repeat in writing what I have 
more than once said verbally on the state of things between 
Russia and Turkey? It appears to me that we have two 
objects in view — one to put an end to the present war be- 
tween these two Powers, and the other to i^revent, as far as 
diplomatic arrangements can do so, a recurrence of similar 
difi&culties, and, through such difficulties, renewed danger 
to the peace of Europe. 

"Now it seems plain that unless Turkey shall be laid 
prostrate at the feet of Russia by disasters in war — an 
event which England and France could not without dis- 
honor permit — no peace can be concluded between the con- 
tending parties unless the Emperor consents to abandon 
his demands, to evacuate the principalities, and to renounce 
some of the embarrassing stipulations of former treaties 
upon which he has founded the pretensions which have 
been the cause of existing difficulties. 

" To bring the Emperor to agree to this it is necessary to 
bring to bear considerable pressure upon him, and the 
quarter in which that pressure can at the present be most 
easily brought to bear is the Black Sea and the countries 
which border it. 

" In the Black Sea, the combined English, French, and 
Turkish squadrons are indisputably superior to the Rus- 
sian fleet, and are able to give the law to that fleet. What 
I would strongly recommend, therefore, is that which I pro- 
posed some months ago to the Cabinet — namely, that the 
Russian government and the Russian Admiral at Sebas- 
topol should be informed that so long as Russian troops 
occupy the principalities, or hold a position in any other 
part of the Turkish territory, no Russian ship of war can 
be allowed to show itself out of port in the Black Sea. " 

Preparations by sea and land were now anxiously watched 
by the Queen and Prince Albert. 

The Oueen wrote : " We went twice more to the camp 

2l8 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

[Chobham], and had two interesting days there. It has 
been most successful, and the troops have been particu- 
larly well all the time. When I think that this camp and 
all our large fleet are without doubt the result of Albert's 
assiduous and unceasing representations to the late and 
the present governments, without which I fully believe 
very little would have been done, one may be proud and 
thankful But, as usual, he is so modest that he allows 
no praise. He works for the general good, and is suffi- 
ciently rewarded when he sees this carried out." 

She also wrote to Stockmar in Germany: "That you 
should be absent when we are tried in the basest and most 
disgraceful manner, and when the Prince is being badgered 
for weeks by the ultras of both parties, is very unfortunate. 

" The Prince treats it with contempt ; but, with his keen 
and very high feeling of honor, he is wounded, hurt, and 
outraged at the attack on his honor, and he is looking very 
ill, though his spirits do not fail him. And coming as it 
does at a moment of such intense political anxiety, when 
this country is on the verge of a war, and anything but 
prepared for it, it is overwhelming and depresses us sadly. 

" Aberdeen is all kindness, and so are the other Ministers, 
and I am told that the reaction will be stronger than any 
attack could be — that the country is as loyal as ever, only 
a little mad. If brought forward in Parliament, they say 
that things could be put and explained in a manner that 
would elicit universal satisfaction and enthusiasm. But 
the uncertainty of all this is harassing." 

Referring to the position now taken up by Great Britain 
and France, the Emperor of Russia wrote to Louis Napoleon : 
"England and France have sided with the enemies of 
Christianity against Russia, combating for the orthodox 
faith." The Russian Minister left London at the end of 
the first week in February, on which date the British repre- 
sentative at St. Petersburg left for home. 

On March 27, 1854, at Paris, the British representative 
was infonned that Russia refused to reply to the summons 
of England and France. The next day both countries 

219 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

declared war. "Her Majesty feels called upon by regard 
for an ally, the integrity and independence of whose em- 
pire have been recognized as essential to the peace of Eu- 
rope, by the sympathies of her people of the right against 
wrong, by a desire to avert from her dominions most in- 
jurious consequences, and to save Europe from the pre- 
ponderance of a Power which has violated the faith of trea- 
ties and defies the opinion of the civilized world, to take 
up arms." 

On the same date the Lord Chancellor read a message 
from the Queen " to acquaint the House that the negotia- 
tions in which her Majesty, in concert with her allies, has 
for some time past been engaged with his Majesty the Em- 
peror of all the Russias have terminated, and her Majesty 
feels bound to afford active assistance to her ally the Sul- 
tan against unprovoked aggression." "Preparations for 
war " had been the headline each morning of a column in 
the London papers for months past. 

The Queen wrote: "The last battalion of the Guards 
and the Scottish Fusiliers embarked to-day. They passed 
through the court-yard here [Buckingham Palace] at 
seven o'clock this morning. We stood on the balcony to 
see them. The morning was fine, the sun was shining 
over the tower at Westminster Abbey, and an immense 
crowd collected to see the fine men, and cheered them im- 
mensely. It was with difficulty they marched along. 
They formed up, presented arms, and then cheered us very 
heartily, and went off cheering. Many sorrowing friends 
were there, and one saw the shaking of many a hand. My 
best wishes and prayers be with them all." 

Meanwhile a continual succession of troop-ships, crowded 
with scarlet-clad soldiers, had been leaving the English 
forts, amid the cheers of the people, for Gibraltar, Malta, 
and the East. Large camps had been formed at Varna, to 
the south of the mouth of the Danube, where both cholera 
and fever had begun to make inroads on the numbers of the 
men available for the front. 

At last the great fleet of war-ships and transports crossed 

220 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

to the north of the Black Sea, and landed in safety the 
army — twenty-five thousand English, a like number of 
French, and eight thousand Turks — who met with no re- 
sistance, and were able to form up in uninterrupted com- 
fort, and to take their places in the long line whose right 
flank, formed by the French, rested upon the sea, pro- 
tected by the fleet, while the left stretched to the red lines 
of the English, a long way inland. 

Moving eastward, they first came into touch with the 
Russians at Balbek, where a sharp cavalry skirmish was 
the overture to the battle of Alma. 

"Great battle — Russians defeated!" "Awful slaughter 
— two thousand British killed and wounded 1" were the 
cries in the London streets when the news arrived that in 
the first shock of arms the Allies had been the victors. 
We all thought in those days that the war would not last 
long, for had not the great Russian army, in their chosen 
position, been signally defeated ? Our troops had ad- 
vanced in beautiful order on that hot autumn day, keep- 
ing a good line with the French. As the long front swept 
down the vine-clad slopes beside a little stream, which 
wound along at the base of the far steeper banl^ that 
shelved towards them and the still steeper ridges above, 
they came into the heavy firing directed upon them from 
those adverse hills. Great blue masses of troops, of can- 
non smoke rushing and rising at intervals — notably in 
one great battery on the British centre — could be distinctly 
seen, for the distances in battle were still short. 

The Russians were armed for the most part with old 
smooth-bore weapons, often converted from flintlocks into 
percussion, and we had comparatively few riflemen. The 
cannon were also smooth-bore, firing chiefly round-shot. 

Through the steeply embanked little river our troops 
splashed and waded, many eating the grapes they had 
plucked from the vineyards, and took breath for a moment 
under the shelter of the bank. Then they struggled up 
and formed line for the terrible advance up the steep glacis 
of the natural fortress, so strongly occupied by the enemy. 

221 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

The lines advanced, wavered, advanced, and looked to 
where, on the far right, the Zouaves and light infantry of 
the French were already ascending the last of the adverse 
heights. 

The fire from the central redoubt was tremendous, and 
for a moment it seemed as though the Guards and High- 
landers would find the task too heavy for them ; but, with 
a great cheer, they swept on, and the heavy earthwork was 
hid in the continuous smoke from the small -arms, the 
heavier volumes from the cannons having ceased. 

The Russians broke and retired in sullen crowds. The 
British reserves were pushed up, and when they reached 
the plateau above the last ridge, they found that they and 
the French had won a complete victory, the whole of the 
Russian army being in full retreat. Thinned in niunbers, 
and greatly fatigued with their exertions, they did not 
pursue, but bivouacked upon the position so splendidly 
won. 

The intention of the commanders was to leave the coast, 
and to march forward until they rounded the head of the 
harbor and the long inlet of Sebastopol, and to march east- 
ward until they struck the sea. The French right flank 
was nearest Sebastopol, and the British farther on to Bala- 
klava. Here it was thought they could be best supported 
from the sea by their fleet, while by keeping along the ele- 
vated parts near the top of Sebastopol harbor they might 
hope in time to endanger the enemy's sources of supply. 
Meanwhile the Russians were allowed to calmly enter their 
defences on both sides of the inlet. It was held that the 
course taken by the commanders was a mistake, and that 
if they had resolutely advanced upon the side of the town 
nearest them, instead of making the circuit to that farther 
off, they might have driven in the Russian defences, and 
at once possessed themselves of the so-called north side, to 
which the Russians ultimately retired at the end of the 
siege. 

Under the genius of Todleben the Russian defences rose 
like magic. Those on the northern side were never menaced, 

222 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

even by distant artillery fire, but those upon the southern 
and eastern sides were subjected to a constant hail of 
cannon-balls and bullets. But the great earthworks of 
the famous Russian engineer completely bade defiance 
through two long winters to all the efforts of his enemies. 

The Queen wrote : " We are — indeed, the whole country 
is — entirely engrossed with one idea and one anxious 
thought — namely, the Crimea. We have received all the 
most interesting and gratifying details of the splendid 
and decisive victory of the Alma. My noble troops be- 
haved with courage and determination truly admirable. 
The Russians expected their position would hold out three 
weeks. Their loss was immense. The whole garrison at 
Sebastopol was out. 

" Since then the army has performed a wonderful march 
to Balaklava and the bombardment of Sebastopol has be- 
gun. Lord Raglan's behavior was worthy of the old Duke 
— such coolness in the midst of the hottest fire! I feel so 
proud of my troops, who, they say, bear their privations 
and the sad disease which still haunts them with the great- 
est courage and good-humor." 

October brought the attack at the back of Balaklava on 
the English lines, the splendid but fatal charges of the 
Light Cavalry, and the more successful onslaught of the 
"Heavies." Nolan had brought the order to Cardigan 
to charge the guns. The task evidently involved a death 
ride, and from the widely extended lines of the Highland 
brigade, slanting up across the hills which guarded the 
head of the little circular loch of Balaklava, they could see 
the galloping squadrons of our cavalry head for the plain, 
where, ranged in front and to the right and left, were the 
field-batteries of the Russians, who continually plunged 
their shot into the horsemen's ranks. In spite of all, how- 
ever, the little force of less than 700 men galloped on, until 
they sabred the gunners at the batteries. They left 478 of 
their number on the ground, and only 195 returned. 

By this time our forces in the trenches had been reduced 
to 16,000 men. The Prince wanted — 

223 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

1. The militia to be completed by ballot, according to the 
law of the land. 

2. The obtaining of the power for the Crown to accept 
offers from the militia to go abroad, and the relief of some 
of our regiments in the Mediterranean by these regiments. 

3. The sending of these relieved regiments to Lord 
Raglan. 

4. The obtaining of the power for the Crown to enlist 
volunteers. 

5. The taking of immediate steps for the formation of 
foreign legions. 

6. The proclamation inviting militiamen to volunteer 
into regiments of the line. 

Six thousand English and 20,000 French troops were to 
reinforce the army before Sebastopol. Meanwhile mud 
and mismanagement deepened. Some very singular 
blunders were committed. In one instance when cattle 
were landed alive at Balaklava, and could have been 
marched up to the front, so that they themselves would 
save all difficulty of transport, they were killed, and their 
carcasses could not be carried the few miles necessary for 
the supply of the troops. There was a sea of mud between 
the army near the trenches and their base of supply at the 
harbor. 

In November the Russians ought to have carried, but 
did not carry, the plateau about Inkerman. If they had 
established themselves there, they would have got behind 
the English right flank, and thus endangered all commu- 
nication with Balaklava. 

" The Queen has received with pride and joy," she wrote 
on November i8th, " the telegraphic news of the glorious — 
but, alasl bloody — victory of the 5th. These feelings of 
pride and satisfaction are very painfully alloyed by the 
grievous news of the loss of so many generals, and in par- 
ticular of Sir George Cathcart, who was so distinguished 
and excellent an officer. 

"We are most thankful that Lord Raglan's valuable 
life has been spared. The Queen trusts he will not expose 

224 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

himself more than is absolutely necessary. The Queen 
cannot sufficiently express her high sense of the great ser- 
vice he has rendered, and is rendering, to her and to the 
country by the very able manner in which he has led the 
bravest troops that ever fought — troops which it is a pride 
to her to be able to call her own. 

" To mark the Queen's approbation, she wishes to confer 
on Lord Raglan the baton of Field Marshal. It affords 
her the sincerest gratification to confer it on one who 
has so nobly earned the highest rank in the army which 
he has so long served in under the immortal hero who, 
she laments, could not witness the success of a friend 
he so greatly esteemed. Both the Queen and the Prince 
are anxious to express to Lord Raglan their unbounded 
admiration of the heroic conduct of the army and their 
sincere sympathy in their sufferings and privations so 
nobly borne." 

To Lady Cathcart she wrote : " I can let no one but my- 
self express to you all my deep feelings and heartfelt sym- 
pathy on this sad occasion when you have been deprived 
of a beloved husband, and I and the country of a mOvSt dis- 
tinguished and excellent officer. 

"I can attempt to offer no consolation in your present 
overwhelming affliction, for none but that derived from a 
reliance on Him who never forsakes those who are in dis- 
tress can be of any avail. But it may be soothing to you 
to know how highly I valued your lamented husband, how 
much confidence I placed in him, and how very deeply and 
truly I mourn his loss. 

" Sir George Cathcart died as he lived, in the service of 
his sovereign and his country, an example to all who fol- 
low him." 

" Since I wrote," she says to King Leopold, "on the 28th 
November, we have received all the details of the bloody 
but glorious battle of Inkerman. Sixty thousand Rus- 
sians defeated by 8000 English and 6000 French is almost 
a miracle. The Russians lost 15,000. They behaved 
with the greatest barbarity. Many of our poor officers 
p 225 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

who were only slightly wounded were brutally butchered 
on the ground; several lived long enough to say this. 

"When poor Sir George Cathcart fell mortally wounded, 
his faithful and devoted military secretary. Colonel Charles 
Seymour, who had been with him at the Cape, sprang from 
his horse, and with one arm — he was wounded in the other 
— supported his dying chief, and three wretches came and 
bayonetted him, 

"This is monstrous, and letters have been sent by the 
two commanders-in-chief to Menschikoff to remonstrate. 
The atrocities conmiitted by the Russians on the wounded 
are too horrible to believe. General Bentinck, whom we 
saw on the 29th, said it was a disagreeable kind of warfare, 
as it was with people who behaved like savages." 

The presence of Sardinian troops on the battle-field was 
marked at home by a visit of the Duke of Genoa, a most 
gallant officer, who in the year 1848 fought in the desperate 
battle of Novara and had his horse shot under him. A 
handsome man, he wore an immense mustache, which 
was prolonged in most formidable spikes on each side of 
his face. Everybody admired him and was civil to him. 
A great dinner was given to him at Stafford House by the 
Duchess of Sutherland, and was attended by the Queen 
and Prince. 

To do them all honor, my grandmother had arranged 
that four of us children were to act as pages, and all four 
were very solemn and very nervous as to the duties cast 
upon us at the ages of seven, eight, and nine. We were 
to precede the party as they walked up the stairs in the 
great central hall, and were to do it backward. But 
only one rehearsal had been undertaken. All went pretty 
well until half the ascent had been accomplished, and 
then one, afraid of tripping up, ignominiously turned tail, 
followed by the other three, to the great amusement of the 
Queen, who laughed much at us; but we were blushing 
too much to allow us to face round towards her again. 

The dirmers, when the party was large, were always held 
in the room above the portico, where a wonderful hanging 

226 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

candelabrum, with white brass HHes interspersed among 
green glass leaves, held a wealth of candles. The com- 
pany, after dinner, dispersed as they liked in the great 
picture-gallery, which takes up the whole length of the 
house on the eastern side, and is connected with other large 
rooms looking on to the garden. 

The winter brought us trouble. The Crimean cold and 
mud had not been sufficiently provided against. There 
was not enough warm clothing for the troops, and the sup- 
plies of all sorts were got up to the lines investing the city 
with difficulty. There was terrible want of organization, 
and one notable instance may be cited, in the killing at 
Balaklava of a large herd of cattle, which might just as well 
have been driven to the front, but when killed the meat 
could only be transported with much delay. The Russian 
despatches, always published in London sooner than our 
own, as messages for us had to be first carried by sea to 
Constantinople; and the accounts of sufferings sent by 
Mr. Russell, of the Times, and in private letters, bred great 
anger against the War Office in England. In November 
a very heavy attack was made on the British right flank 
by vast masses of Russians, who came by the Tchernaya 
Valley to that of Inkerman, and surprised our. men, who, 
fighting desperately, lost 102 officers and 2500 men, but 
retained the position they had occupied, being at the end of 
the fight nobly supported by the French, who lost over 
1600. Befcwre the end of the year the intrenchments of 
the Russians had become stupendous works, executed 
under the superintendence of General Todleben. The 
British riflemen had the advantage in small -arms, the 
garrison being largely armed with old flintlocks, converted 
to percussion, smooth-bore muskets. We had the new 
Mini6 rifle, and also two guns of rifled pattern called after 
the inventor, Lancaster. Their shooting, though of long 
range, was very erratic. In mortars we were better armed; 
but the Russians, by landing all the guns from their fleet 
before they sank the vessels, were well provided with heavy 
smooth-bore cannon. In the embrasures they fitted raan- 

227 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

telets made of thick rope, to keep out the Mini6 bullets. The 
shelter the town gave them was of great value, especially 
on the north side. Their bomb-proofs were immense; but 
the terrible twinkling arcs in the sky of our great shells 
were to be seen by day and night, and the tremendous 
detonation of the explosions made all existence above 
ground hazardous on the southern side of the harbor. 

Throughout the spring of 1855 sorties by the garrison 
and desperate fighting in the trenches occurred. A naval 
expedition to Kertch, in the Sea of Azof, was successful 
in May in destroying stores and forts. In June it was re- 
solved to make a combined assault with the French on two 
of the great Russian advanced forts. One, called by the 
French Mamelon, was to be stormed by them, and the 
other, called by the English the Redan, was assigned as 
the task of the British. The English attack failed. 

Lord Raglan, the British commander-in-chief, one of 
Wellington's Peninsula men, died very soon after this re- 
pulse. In September there was another attempt made. 
The French were close to the Malakhoff tower and trenches, 
and their assault succeeded. Ours, against the Redan, 
again failed. The men had to run across a space of open 
ground, and suffered heavily. They reached the ditch 
of the Redan, and there clung desperately to the ramparts 
of the works, which gave forth a close stream of shot, kill- 
ing all exposed to it. The survivors had to retreat. Sir 
Colin Campbell desired next day to attack again with the 
Highland brigade, and arrangements were made to support 
them with heavy columns, but the enemy had had enough ; 
the bombardment that accompanied the attacks had been 
very severe. The French success at the Malakhoff tower 
was a strong argument to induce them to retire to the 
north side of the harbor. The bridge of boats across the 
water was thronged all night with the retiring columns. 
Great explosions in the city showed that the Russians had 
put an end to their wonderful defence, and the fall of Se- 
bastopol was celebrated all over Great Britain with much 
rejoicing. In the Malakhoff and Redan 3000 cannon were 

228 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

found, and 120,000 pounds of gunpowder. In Sebastopol, 
120 cannon of bronze and 371 1 of iron, 407,000 round- 
shot, 102,000 shell, 24,000 canister, 525,000 pounds of gun- 
powder, and enormous stores of all kinds. In February, 
1856, an armistice was signed at Vienna, and the treaty 
of peace at Paris in March. 

Lord Ellesmere, in speaking in praise of the troops and 
fleet, said of Lord Raglan's headquarters: "From that 
humble abode there radiated a moral force, a serene and 
unquenchable spirit of faith and trust and duty, which 
did resist, and which alone could have resisted, the com- 
bined influences of weather, privation, and fatigue, super- 
added to the constant changes of a defective military po- 
sition, threatened in front, flank, and rear, by a brave and 
able and outnumbering army. The spell prevailed; not 
even discomfiture, far less disgrace, fell on the banners of 
England." Then, alluding to Miss Nightingale, who, 
with her women nurses, had labored in the hospitals or- 
ganized at Scutari on the Hellespont, he continued : " My 
lords, the agony of that time has become matter of history. 
The vegetation of two successive springs has obscured the 
vestiges of Balaklava and Inkerman. Strong voices now 
answer to the roll-call, and sturdy forms now cluster round 
the colors. The ranks are full; the hospitals are empty. 
The angel of mercy still lingers to the last on the scene of 
her labors, but her mission is all but accomplished. Those 
long arcades of Scutari, in which dying men sat up to 
catch the sound of her footsteps or the flutter of her dress, 
and fell back on the pillow, content to have seen her shadow 
as it passed, are now comparatively deserted. I am sure 
that while England's renovated battalions are shaking 
the earth with their tramp, and extorting alike from con- 
stant allies and former foes that ungrudging admiration 
which true soldiers feel even for foemen worthy of their 
steel — amid that pomp and circumstance of war's display, 
without its terrors, there will be a bunch of myrrh in the 
festival goblet when the cup is fullest and the revel is at its 
height, which will make the draught bitter, but whole- 

229 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

some. There will be a thought and a sigh for one who 
should have been there. They will miss, among the 
crowd of officers of many nations, the armless sleeve and 
noble fonn of Lord Raglan. Yes, there will be a thought 
and a sigh for him who established and maintained the 
footing of England on that soil, and but for whom, as I 
devoutly believe, the graves at Inkemian would be now, 
like the tmnuli which record in that country the reign of 
extinct dynasties, the sole memorial of the achievements 
and the fate of an English army." It was remarked in 
the same debate, that if we "compared the position of 
Russia . in the Baltic and the Black seas before the war 
with that she occupied afterwards, we must admit that the 
objects of that war had been gained. Russia had threat- 
ened Norway and Sweden, she held a protectorate of the 
principalities, and in Sebastopol she kept a standing 
menace over the Ottoman Empire. Sebastopol is now 
destroyed; the protectorate no longer exists; the Black 
Sea is opened, and Sweden is secured from aggression." 
The only gain to Russia was the advance through the 
Caucasus and in the country about Kars, in Asia Minor. 
Kars, defended by General Williams, capitulated, after a 
long and most gallant defence. The garrison consisted 
entirely of Turkish troops, led by a few English officers. 
The peace celebrations showed the joy of the people in 
the conclusion of the war which had brought terrible suf- 
fering on the army in the Crimea, but had finished in vic- 
tory, leaving Britain with a force far larger and better than 
before. The return of the Guards through the London 
streets to their barracks was a most moving sight. In 
the parks hundreds of thousands watched great displays 
of fireworks, and the Russian cannon taken were distrib- 
uted as war trophies to all the great towns. Aldershot 
has since been regularly maintained as the exercise ground 
of a considerable force, where regiments from all parts of 
the kingdom may receive good military instruction. The 
fleet was augmented; all forces by sea and land were 
given improved rifled small -arms. Fortifications at the 

230 




THE QUEEN IN 185I 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

great seaports were commenced, and the alliance with 
France guaranteed peace between ourselves and our most 
powerful and most jealous neighbor. 

The following letters from Queen Victoria to an intimate 
personal friend refer to the period of the Crimean War : 

" Buckingham Pai^ace, February i, 1854. 
" The Prince was very much touched by your very kind 
expressions, which we both value much. I have always 
loved you greatly, but your admiration for, and apprecia- 
tion of, my beloved husband, has naturally greatly in- 
creased this feeling. How very gratifying and satisfac- 
tory was the reference concerning this subject [vindication 
of the Prince] in the two Houses last night. 

" Buckingham Palace, March 28, 1854. 
"I understand there is doubt as to the burial of poor 
Gilbert Grosvenor, which must make his loss doubly dis- 
tressing to his poor parents. Under the circumstances I 
will not ask you to come to dinner, although I should wish 
that you should, under any circumstances, come to the 
Drawing-room. But, perhaps, by Friday, this sad un- 
certainty may be at an end, and you might be able to dine 
with us. Lady Ely, of course, is excused. " 

" Windsor Castle, October 28, 1854. 

"My thoughts are constantly with you since I heard 
yesterday that your worst fears about your dear boy are 
realized [the death of Lord Frederick Gower before Se- 
bastopol]. I cannot tell you how grieved and shocked we 
are. Truly we both sympathize with you and the Duke 
and your whole family on this very sad occasion. You 
will know my love and affection for you, and will therefore 
fully believe how my heart bleeds for you, who are so ten- 
der and so devoted a mother. 

"This is a terrible season of mourning and sorrow. 
How many mothers, wives, sisters, and children are be- 
reaved at this moment. Alas! it is that awful accom- 

231 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

paniment of war, disease, which is so much more to be 
dreaded than the fighting itself. 

"The Prince joins with me in everything I have so in- 
adequately expressed. You are so truly pious and good 
that He who has taken your child to Himself will support 
and comfort you as He does all who trust in Him." 

"Buckingham Palace, March 6, 1855. 

"Our visit to Chatham was of immense interest and a 
great gratification to me. Four hundred and fifty of my 
dear, brave, noble heroes I saw, and, thank God, upon the 
whole, all in a very satisfactory state of recovery. Such 
patience and resignation, courage and anxiety to return 
to their service. Such fine men ! 

"The solemn event of the poor Emperor's [of Russia] 
death will, I. am sure, have shocked your uncle [Duke of 
Devonshire] much." 

" Windsor, April 5, 1855. 
" I am anxious to know what your feelings would be as 
to being here during the visit of the Emperor and Empress 
of the French, which takes place on the i6th. Tell me 
candidly if you still prefer delaying a little longer your 
return to society, and, moreover, if you would rather not 
begin upon an occasion when there are to be so many peo- 
ple here." 

" Balmoral, October 4, 1855. 

" The Prince has been a great sufferer with rheumatism, 
but it has not kept him at all to the house. It is wonder- 
fully warm for the season. Our new house is delight- 
fully pretty and comfortable, and I think you will like the 
simple furniture and plain carpets, chintzes, etc. 

" I think you will like the Exhibition at Paris, which is 
certainly very good, though to me that was certainly the 
least interesting or novel of what I had to see in that beau- 
tiful and enjoyable city. I envy you going there again. 
We were so very kindly received by the whole nation, and 

232 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

the Emperor and Empress made it so very pleasant and 
easy for us." 

Louis Napoleon had paid a visit to Queen Victoria at 
Windsor in April of the preceding year (1855). 

"News arrived that the Emperor had reached London/' 
wrote the Queen, " and I hurried to be ready and went over 
to the other side of the castle, where we waited in one of 
the tapestry rooms near the Guard Room. At a quarter 
to seven we heard that the train had left Paddington. The 
expectation and agitation grew more intense. At length 
the crowd of anxious spectators lining the road seemed to 
move, then came a groom, then we heard a gun, and we 
moved towards the staircase. Another groom came. 
Then we saw the advanced guard of the escort; then the 
cheers of the crowd burst forth. The outriders appeared, 
the doors opened, I stepped out, the children and princes 
close behind me; the band struck up 'Partant pour la 
Syrie,' the trumpets sounded, and the open carriage, with 
the Emperor and Empress, Albert sitting opposite to them, 
drove up, and they got out. 

"I cannot say what indescribable emotions filled me — 
how much all seemed like a wonderful dream. These 
great meetings of sovereigns, surrounded by very exciting 
accompaniments, are always very agitating." 

A ball was given in the Waterloo Room. The Queen 
danced a quadrille with the Emperor. "How strange," 
she wrote, " to think that I, the granddaughter of George 
III., should dance with the Emperor Napoleon, nephew of 
England's great enemy, now my nearest and most inti- 
mate ally, in the Waterloo Room, and this ally only six 
years ago living in this country an exile, poor and un- 
thought of!" 

The Emperor and Empress paid a visit to the City. The 
Queen and Prince journeyed from Windsor to London 
with them, but the Emperor and Empress proceeded from 
Buckingham Palace alone in full State to the Guildhall, 
and were delighted with their reception. In the evening a 
State visit was paid to Her Majesty's Theatre. " Never," 

233 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

wrote the Queen, " did I see such enormous crowds at night, 
all in the highest good-humor. We literally drove through 
a sea of human beings, cheering and pressing near the 
carriage. The streets were beautifully illuminated. There 
were many devices of N.E.V.A., which the Emperor said, 
oddly enough, made 'Neva.' This seemed to have im- 
pressed him, for he said he had observed it before at Bou- 
logne." On entering the theatre the Queen, taking the 
Emperor by the hand, led him forward, and, bowing to 
the people, presented to them her Imperial guest, while 
Prince Albert led forward the Empress. 

A visit was paid to the Crystal Palace. "Nothing," 
the Queen wrote, "could have succeeded better. Still, I 
own I felt anxious as we passed along through the multi- 
tude of people, who, after all, were very close to us. I felt, 
as I walked on the Emperor's arm, that I was possibly a 
protection for him. All thoughts of nervousness for my- 
self were past ; I thought only of him, and so it is, Albert 
says, when one forgets one's self, one loses his great and 
foolish nervousness." 

Before their departure on the following day, the Em- 
peror's last act was to inscribe his name in the Queen's 
album. "I am glad to have known this extraordinary 
man," she wrote, "whom it is certainly impossible not 
to like when you live with him, and not even to a con- 
siderable extent to admire. I believe him to be capable of 
kindness, affection, friendship, and gratitude. I feel con- 
fidence in him as regards the future ; I think he is frank, 
means well towards us, and, as Stockmar says, 'that we 
have insured his sincerity and good faith towards us for 
the rest of his life. ' Albert felt just as I did — much pleased 
with everything, liking the Emperor and Empress, and 
being very much interested in them." 

The Queen, on May i8, 1855, distributed medals to those 
who had fought in the Crimea, and writing to the King of 
the Belgians of the ceremony, she said : " From the high- 
est prince of the blood to the lowest private, all received 
the same distinction for the bravest conduct in the severest 

234 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

actions, and the rough hands of the brave and honest 
soldiers came for the first time in contact with the hand 
of their Sovereign and Queen. Noble fellows 1 I own I 
feel as if they were my own children; my heart beats for 
them as for my nearest and dearest I They were so touched, 
so pleased — many, I hear, cried; and they won't hear of 
giving up their medals to have their names engraved upon 
them, for fear that they should not receive the identical 
ones put into their hands by me! Several came by in a 
sadly mutilated state. None created more interest or is 
more gallant than young Sir Thomas Troubridge, who 
had at Inkerman one leg and the foot of the other carried 
away by a round-shot, and continued commanding his 
battery till the battle was over, refusing to be carried away, 
only desiring his shattered limbs to be raised in order to 
prevent too great a hemorrhage! He was dragged by in 
a bath-chair, and when I gave him his medal I told him 
I should make him one of my aides-de-camp for his very 
gallant conduct ; to which he repHed, ' I am amply repaid 
for everything.' One must revere and love such soldiers 
as those." 

When the news of Lord Raglan's death reached the 
Queen, she wrote to Lady Raglan : 

" Words cannot convey all I feel at the irreparable loss 
you have sustained, and I and the country feel also, in 
your noble, gallant, and excellent husband, whose loyalty 
and devotion to his sovereign and country were unbound- 
ed. We both feel most deeply for you and your daughters, 
to whom this blow must be most severe and sudden. He 
was so strong, and his health had borne the bad climate, 
the great fatigues and anxieties, so well, ever since he 
left England, that, though we were much alarmed at 
hearing of his illness, we were full of hopes of his speedy 
recovery. 

"We must bow to the will of God! But to be taken 
away thus, on the eve of the successful result of so much 
labor, so much suffering, and so much anxiety, is hard 
indeed ! 

235 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

"We feel much, too, for the brave army, whom he was 
so proud of, and who will be sadly cast down at losing 
their gallant commander, who had led them so often to 
victory and glory. 

"If sympathy can be any consolation you have it, for 
we all have alike to mourn, and no one more than I, who 
have lost a faithful and devoted servant in whom I had 
the greatest confidence." 

In August, 1855, the Queen and Prince paid a visit to 
Paris. When the royal • yacht arrived at Boulogne, the 
Emperor stepped on board. "He led me on shore," wrote 
the Queen, "amid acclamations, salutes, and every 
sound of joy and respect. We four [the Queen, Prince, 
Prince of Wales, and Princess Royal] entered a landau 
carriage and drove through the crowded and decorated 
streets, the Emperor escorting us himself on horseback to 
the railway station, which was thronged with an enthusi- 
astic crowd largely composed of ladies." 

Of Paris itself the Queen wrote: "Imagine this beauti- 
ful city, with its broad streets and lofty houses, decorated 
in the most tasteful manner possible, with banners, flags, 
arches, flowers, inscriptions, and, finally, illuminations; 
full of people, lined with troops — National Guards and 
troops of the line and Chasseurs d'Afrique — beautifully 
kept and most enthusiastic! And yet this gives but a 
faint notion of this triumph as it was. There were endless 
cries of 'Vive la Reine dAngleterre! Vive I'Empereur! 
Vive le Prince Albert ! ' The approaching twilight rather 
added to the beauty of the scene, and it was still quite light 
enough when we passed down the new Boulevard de Stras- 
bourg (the Emperor's creation) and along the Boulevards, 
by the Porte Saint-Denis, the Madeleine, the Place de la 
Concorde, and the Arc de Triomphe de I'l^toile. 

" In all this blaze of light from lamps and torches, amid 
the roar of cannon and bands and drums and cheers, we 
reached the palace. The Empress, with Princess Mathilde 
and the ladies, received us at the door, and took us up a 
beautiful staircase to our rooms, which are charming." 

236 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

The Queen was delighted with the beauty of the palace. 
" The saloons are splendid — all en suite ; they, as well as 
the court-yard, staircase, etc., remind me of Briihl. The 
ceilings are beautifully painted, and the walls hung with 
Gobelins. The Salle de Mars is a very noble room, and 
opens into the fine long gallery called La Salle de Diane, 
in which we dined. Everything was magnificent, and all 
very quiet and royal. Marechal Magnan told me that such 
enthusiasm as we had witnessed had not been known in 
Paris, not even in the time of the Emperor Napoleon's 
triumphs." 

The next day the Queen and Prince drove with the Em- 
peror and Empress to the Bois de Boulogne, which had 
recently been transformed by the Emperor into the beauti- 
ful park which it now is ; also to Neuilly. " We returned 
by the banks of the Seine, which are very pretty, and remind 
one of Richmond." 

On Monday, August 20th, a visit was paid to the Ex- 
position des Beaux- Arts. "The enthusiasm," wrote the 
Queen, " was very great, both at the Exposition and in the 
densely crowded streets, and the cries of " Vive TEmpereur I 
Vive la Reine d'Angleterre!" were very constant and grati- 
fying. I was, of course, always at the Emperor's arm." 

The party subsequently went to the Elysee, where the 
whole Diplomatic Corps with their wives were presented to 
the Queen. Afterwards the Queen, the Prince, and the 
Emperor drove in an open carriage to the Sainte Chapelle 
and to the Palais de Justice. Pointing to the Conciergerie, 
the Emperor said, " ' Voila ou j'^tais en prison!' Strange 
contrast to be driving with us as Emperor through the 
streets of the city in triumph!" 

On Monday, August 27th, the Queen and Prince took 
their departure from Paris. " We started at half-past ten, 
the Emperor and Empress going with us. I was sorely 
grieved to leave this charming Saint-Cloud. Along the 
whole route there were immense crowds, all most friend- 
ly." At Boulogne all the troops of the camp, thirty-six 
thousand infantry, besides cavalry, lancers, and dra- 

237 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

goons, were assembled on the sands. "We drove down 
the lines, which were immensely deep — quite a forest of 
bayonets. The effect they produced, with the background 
of the calm blue sea, and the setting sun, which threw a 
glorious crimson light over all, was magnificent." 

The betrothal of the Princess Royal to Prince Frederick 
William of Prussia took place at Balmoral in September, 
1855. " He had already spoken to us," wrote the Queen, 
" on the 20th, of his wishes ; but we were uncertain, on ac- 
count of her extreme youth, whether he should speak to her 
himself, or wait till he came back again. However, we 
felt it was better he should do so, and during our ride up 
Craig-na-Ban this afternoon he picked a piece of white 
heather (the emblem of ' good luck ') which he gave to her ; 
and this enabled him to make an allusion to his hopes and 
wishes as they rode down Glen Gimock, which led to this 
happy conclusion." 

The foundation stone of Netley Hospital was laid by the 
Queen in May, 1856. Referring to the ceremony in a letter 
to the King of the Belgians, she spoke of the hospital as 
" the first of the kind in this country, and which is to bear 
my name and be one of the finest in Europe. Loving my 
dear brave army as I do, and having seen so many of my 
poor sick and wounded soldiers, I shall watch over this 
work with maternal anxiety." 

Princess Beatrice was born on April 14th. " She is to 
be called Beatrice," the Queen wrote; "a fine old name, 
borne by three of the Plantagenet princesses, and her 
other names will be Mary (after poor Aunt Mary), Victoria 
(after mamma and Vicky, who with Fritz Wilhelm are to 
be sponsors), and Feodore (the Queen's half-sister). I hope 
you approve the choice." 

The title of "Prince Consort" was conferred on the 
Prince by Royal Letters Patent on June 25, 1857. 

"You know that people call Albert 'Prince Consort,' " 
wrote the Queen to King Leopold, " but it never has been 
given him as a title, so I intend to confer it on him by Letters 
Patent, just as I conferred the precedence on him in 1840. 

238 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

You remember how awkward his position was in Germany, 
having none but a foreign title; and besides, I think it is 
wrong that my husband should not have an English title. 
I should have preferred its being done by Act of Parliament, 
and so it may still be at some future period; but it was 
thought better upon the whole to do it now in this simple 
way." 

"The evening was splendid," wrote the Queen in her 
Diary, on August 19, 1857, of a visit that she paid to Cher- 
bourg. " The sea like oil, and the sun throwing over every- 
thing a beautiful golden light. The breakwater at Cher- 
bourg is of great extent, and extensive works are going on 
all around ; the only shipping, two or three small trading- 
vessels. The small town is picturesquely situated, with 
an old church, a fort with a high cliff commanding it on 
one side, and hills rising behind the town, very like Ehren- 
breitstein. Albert landed, and afterwards the naval au- 
thorities came on board and had dinner with us. Gen- 
eral d'Herbillon, the Inspector of Infantry, who had been 
in the Crimea and distinguished himself there, was making 
a tour of inspection at Cherbourg. He was extremely 
civil, expressing his thanks 'for the great favors given 
by your Majesty' in sending him the Companionship of 
the Bath, ' the star of which I wear with great pride.' His 
aide-de-camp had also been with him in the Crimea. There 
was also General Borel de Bretizel, cormnanding the troops 
here, who turned out to be an old acquaintance, we having 
seen him with Nemours at our fancy ball in 1845. It was 
strange. After a few civil speeches they returned, and 
we went below. 

"Next morning at half -past eight all the fortresses 
saluted and the Consul arrived, and Albert, to my great 
delight, has consented to remain here to-night, so that we 
might visit an old chateau. Presently the Admiral ar- 
rived, and preceded us in a fine large boat, we following 
with the three eldest children and the ladies and gentle- 
men (the three youngest remaining to go on shore with the 
governesses) . Rowed up under salutes and the well-known 

239 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

fanfare or battre aux ar^nes of the different guards of honor. 
The reception was half private — no troops being drawn 
up — but all the generals and officers of different kinds were 
there; General Borel, in high boots and on horseback, 
riding near our carriage. We and the two girls were in the 
Admiral's little open carriage, the ladies and gentlemen 
and officers, in others, following. The docks and bassins, 
of which there are three enormous ones in course of con- 
struction, are magnificent, formed of the finest granite of 
the country, and all executed in the best manner. 

"It makes me very unhappy to see what is done here, 
and how well protected the works are, for the forts and the 
breakwater (which is treble the size of the Plymouth one) 
are extremely well defended. We got out twice to examine 
the construction and look at the enormous depth of the 
docks. There are at least eight thousand workmen em- 
ployed, and already millions have been spent. The works 
were commenced in the time of Louis XIV. We then pro- 
ceeded to the town, leaving the arsenal and fortifications, 
and passing by the Corderie (rope manufactory), and as- 
cended a hill outside the town. The town itself is very 
picturesque, but small, humble, and thoroughly foreign- 
looking; streets narrow, pavement bad; all the windows, 
without exception, casements, opening quite back, leaving 
the whole space open, as if there were no windows, and 
with outside shutters." 

In 1857 occurred the great Indian mutiny. No one could 
tell the exact origin of the outbreak. Several reasons were 
given, but the cause which found most credence was that 
the natives in the army had been persuaded that the British 
desired to destroy caste by making the soldiers bite off the 
paper ends of cartridges (to get the powder to pour down 
the barrels), which had been dipped in animal fat, thus 
defiling the True Believer. It was said, also, that an act 
passed by the Indian government that no man should lose 
his property on account of changing his religion had given 
great anxiety to the native priests. Another interference 
with their faith was alleged in the permission given to the 

240 




THE QUEEN WITH H.R.H. THE PRINCE CONSORT IN i860 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

Hindoo widows to marry a second time. Then the king- 
dom of Oude had been annexed, which was supposed by 
some Indian feudatory princes to be the precursor of the 
aboHtion of their own sovereignty, and led the Mohammedan 
chiefs to make common cause with the Hindoos. What- 
ever the cause, it was evident that Great Britain would 
lose her Indian empire unless measures were quickly taken 
to reinforce the troops. Lord Canning was the Viceroy. 
He represented in the strongest terms the dangers of the 
situation. Sir George Grey, at the Cape, without orders 
and with great presence of mind, sent troops intended for 
his colony on to Calcutta. Lord Elgin did the same with 
troops destined for China. Calcutta breathed again. But 
no one knew how far disaffection extended. The Gover- 
nor-General himself, in the vast palace at Calcutta, could 
not depend on the loyalty of the armed native soldiers 
who rode before his Carriage and mounted guard at the 
steps of his portico. Everywhere there was suspicion. 

But England was fortunate in the men who had to meet 
the storm. John and Henry Lawrence, in the Upper 
Provinces, were both trained to Indian service, and had 
the confidence and love of many among the natives. It 
was John who saved the Northwest. It was Henry who 
valiantly defended his post and died there in the Residency 
of Lucknow. 

The British ofi&cers of the Sepoy army could hardly be 
persuaded that their regiments were disloyal. They 
deemed it impossible until convincing proof came. But 
proofs appeared soon enough in open mutiny or sedition, 
betrayed by the loyal few to the authorities. A European 
officer was murdered at Barrackpore. Then began the 
disbanding of suspected battalions, and at Meerut the 
conspiracy flamed out, to be followed by a massacre of 
white men at Delhi. At Lucknow, Cawnpore, Benares, 
Bareilly, Allahabad, and other places the Sepoys rebelled, 
in many cases murdering all the white women and children 
they could find. Most of the rebels went to Delhi. Very 
many others were disarmed, and wherever there were 
Q 241 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

British forces this step was carried out. A frequently used 
method was to order a parade, when the natives found them- 
selves face to face with the British force, their muskets 
loaded, and the guns ready to fire, and surrender then 
became inevitable. Thus at Meean Meer, close to Lahore, 
there were quartered three native infantry regiments and 
one of cavalry, with the 8 1st British Regiment and some 
artillery. It came to the knowledge of the commanding 
officer that there was a plot to seize the fort of Lahore, open 
the jail, and massacre all Europeans. A ball was being 
given by the British residents to the officers of the 8ist, 
It was resolved to let the ball proceed, the better to lull the 
natives' suspicions. Next morning all troops were sum- 
moned, as though to hear a general order read. The 
Sepoys were drawn up two thousand five hundred strong, 
and in their rear were five companies of the Queen's regi- 
ment, with the guns. The adjutant stepped to the front 
of the whole line, and read a statement of reasons why dis- 
armament should be enforced. When the order was given 
to pile arms, it was not instantly obeyed, and the 8ist were 
ordered to load. The guns were ready to pour in grape, 
and seeing this the natives sullenly gave up their arms. 

Sir John Lawrence's proclamation to the Hindoos of the 
army of the Punjaub warned them plainly of their danger. 
The rajahs of Puttiala and of Jheend quickly backed the 
words of Sir John Lawrence by appearing as allies of the 
British before the walls of Delhi, Punishment overtook 
the rebels in many places. We were in no mood to spare 
traitors and fanatics who had murdered women and chil- 
dren. Numbers were blown away from guns, a quicker 
death than that by hanging. The Sikhs worked loyally 
on our side, although many among them remembered the 
battles in which we obtained so hard a victory over them. 

As the mutiny spread it was evident that the Bengal 
army was the centre of disaffection. In Central India 
there were also insurgents, but in Bombay and Madras 
presidencies it soon appeared evident that the risings would 
not be serious. Everywhere throughout Bengal the same 

242 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

scenes were repeated. At almost every military station 
there were first the whispers of trouble, then some overt 
act which showed how true the rumors were, then the 
flight of women and children to some place where they too 
often hoped in vain for safety, and then the outbreak, the 
shooting of of&cers, the pillaging of cantonments, and too 
often the successful siege of some poor refuge, and the 
massacre of all within it. 

At Cawnpore the most ghastly of all these events took 
place at the bidding of the infamous Nana Sahib. The 
sight of the prison, splashed with the blood of the defence- 
less babes and women, drove our people to fury, so that no 
quarter was given when the rebels fell into our hands. 

The beginning of the advance of the British in force was 
made under General Havelock. The work before him was 
hard. He had only two thousand men. Cawnpore was 
taken shortly after the massacre. Lucknow was fully in- 
vested by the Sepoys. Inglis, who was in command of 
the Residency, wrote : " It is impossible for me to leave 
my defences. I have one hundred and twenty sick and 
wounded, and two hundred and twenty women, and no 
carriage of any description. I shall put my force on half 
rations. No time must be lost in pushing forward if you 
wish to save us. We are daily attacked by the enemy, 
who are within a few yards of our defences. Their mines 
have already weakened our post, and they are carrying 
on other mines. Their eighteen-pounder guns are within 
one hundred and fifty yards of some of our batteries. 
We cannot reply to them. Therefore the damage is very 
great. My strength in Europeans is now three hundred 
and fifty, and three hundred natives, the men dreadfully 
harassed, and, owing to part of the Residency having been 
brought down by round-shot, many are without shelter. 
If our native force, who are losing confidence, leave us, I 
do not know how the defences are to be manned." 

Meanwhile the main body of the rebels in DeUii had to 
be dispersed. The city was strongly walled by a succes- 
sion of bastioned fronts, the connecting wall, or curtain, 

243 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

being very long. The bastions usually had six guns 
each. The long array of the main walls was from sixteen 
to twenty feet high, with a musketry shelter at top. There 
was a deep ditch in front. The Jumna River flowed by 
the city. Our batteries began the bombardment at one 
thousand two hundred yards distance. The Sepoys tried 
to harass our lines, but were always driven back. Gradu- 
ally, with the help of the Sikhs, the outlying buildings 
were one by one taken. On a blazing day in June oc- 
curred the anniversary of the great victory by Clive at 
Plassy, and there was a prophecy that the British Raj or 
rule should then cease. The garrison came out and at- 
tacked in force. This effort of the enemy was repulsed. 
One side of the city being open to the enemy, fresh forces 
were constantly coming, and their arrival was usually an- 
nounced by fresh attacks. In August four of the rebel 
guns were captured, but this fight alone cost us one 
hundred and thirteen of&cers and men. Then General 
Nicholson, a magnificent soldier, fated to give his life 
during the siege, came in with a column of two thou- 
sand five hundred men, who had been employed in attack- 
ing and chasing bodies of the rebels in the Punjaub. He 
was able to crush a turning movement attempted by the 
enemy with heavy loss. Now came the time for the as- 
saults upon the walls. Four columns were to storm the 
city in different places. A party of men with powder bags 
advanced against the Cashmere gate, and, in face of a 
furious fire, blew it in. It was a most gallant deed. A 
bugle announced the success to the s^ d Regiment, wait- 
ing for the signal. They rushed through the splintered 
gate. The first column assaulted a breach in the curtain 
wall near the Cashmere gate. Part entered by escalade, 
and the rest rushed up the breach. The second column, 
again attacking at a breach near the water gate, succeeded 
and took possession of a large section of the ramparts, and 
turned again upon the enemy. Colonel Campbell led the 
third column, and attacked the great mosque, the " Jumma 
Musjid," but could not scale this, for all openings were 

244 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

bricked up, and a very heavy fire poured on them from 
guns which they could not silence. 

The fourth column was not successful. The Cashmere 
troops, forming part of it, were beaten back, and lost four 
guns. The position, held by strong batteries, was almost 
impregnable. The cavalry, during these attacks, prevent- 
ed sorties designed to take us in rear. But the fighting 
continued, though the walls were pierced. General Wilson 
wrote to Calcutta of these days : " From the time of our 
first entering the city, an uninterrupted and vigorous fire 
from our guns and mortars was kept up on the palace, 
Jumma Musjid, and important posts in possession of the 
rebels, and, as we took up our various positions in advance, 
our light guns and mortars were brought forward and 
used with effect on houses and streets. This firing brought 
about the evacuation of the city. The king fled from the 
palace, and the troops from all defences. The old king 
and his two sons were captured." 

Then came the advance on Lucknow, which had held 
out with little hope, but with unfaltering gallantry. With 
equal courage Havelock rushed on through streets lined 
with loopholed houses, until the Residency was entered. 
Sir Henry Lawrence had been killed. The forces of Have- 
lock were strong enough to prolong the defence, but were 
not numerous enough to raise the siege. They, in turn, 
were hemmed in. But with the increase in the forces of 
the rebels came the time when England's aid for her sorely 
pressed Indian army should reach Calcutta. Eighty 
transports brought thirty thousand men. At their head 
was the old Peninsula veteran, Sir Colin Campbell. This 
officer was very popular in the army, and beloved by the 
Highlanders. He was the son of poor parents, and his 
father lived at Bunessan, in Mull. 

Sir Colin made short work of the " Pandies," as the rebels 
were called, after the name of one of the first of the mutineers. 
He concentrated forces at Cawnpore, and marched thence, 
on November 9th, to effect the relief of the imprisoned gar- 
rison of the Residency at Lucknow. Since Havelock had 

245 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

reached them, only to be shut up in his turn, they had 
fought wonderfully, but could make no impression on 
the ring of their adversaries, whose shot and cannon-balls 
incessantly wrought death among them. Avoiding the 
approach through the widely built city. Sir Colin took the 
troops round to the right, and then attacked one after the 
other the Dilkoosha Park and the Martiniere, a suburban 
school institute. Another large enclosure, called the 
Secundra Bagh, was next successully assaulted, and then 
a large-domed mosque, with its garden, was taken, the 
naval brigade helping much with the fire of ship guns, 
which they had taken up-country with them. "Then," 
as Sir Colin wrote, " the troops finally pressed forward with 
great vigor, and lined the wall separating the mess-house 
[another detached enclosure] from the Motee Mahal, which 
consists of a wide compound and many buildings. The 
enemy here made a last stand, which was overcome after 
an hour, openings having been broken in the wall, through 
which the troops poured, with a body of sappers, and ac- 
complished our communication with the Residency. I 
had the inexpressible satisfaction shortly afterwards of 
greeting Sir James Outram and Sir Henry Havelock, who 
came out to meet me before the action was at an end." To 
remove the sick and wounded a line of military posts was 
maintained against the frequent attacks of the enemy. 
The Residency was evacuated. The guns that coidd not 
be taken away were destroyed. "Each exterior line of 
troops gradually retired through its supports, till, at length, 
nothing remained but the last line of infantry, with which 
I was myself to crush the enemy if he dared to follow." 
Thus Sir Colin wrote of a retirement admirably carried 
out under great danger and enormous difficulty. At Fut- 
tegurh Sir Colin effected a junction with a column under 
Walpole. Sir Jung Bahadur, with a body of Nepaul troops, 
gave most valuable help to the British. At Lucknow, our 
troops took one hundred and twenty guns. In April of 
1858 we lost the leader of the naval brigade, the gallant Peel. 
Disease had taken many, but their places were more than 

246 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

filled by drafts from home. The Governor-General, hoping 
to limit the work still to be done in suppressing the mutiny, 
issued a proclamation promising life and honor to those 
who might at once surrender, rewarded some landholders 
in the old Oude kingdom by making their rights heredi- 
tary, and announced that the land was now confiscated to 
the British government. This proclamation was abused 
at home for the last-mentioned measure, and was blamed 
in India as shutting the door on vengeance. " Clemency " 
Canning was the nickname Lord Canning won by this 
procedure, a name that his friends were proud to see given 
to him. 

Sir Hugh Rose, afterwards Lord Strathnaim, was operat- 
ing in central India, punishing the rebels with the greatest 
severity, and blowing hundreds from his guns. He spared 
none taken in arms. He rode faster and farther than could 
any of his officers. Undaunted by sunstroke, want of 
food, and difficulties, he must have seemed an avenging 
spirit to the mutineers. Jhansi was stormed by him. He 
beat them at Gwalior and Calpee. Campbell took up the 
work again. Sir James Outram had remained at the 
Alumbagh, near Lucknow, and could not be dislodged 
by the frequent attacks of the enemy. Sir Colin advancing, 
relieved him. The city was thoroughly conquered, and 
the important post of Bareilly was captured. Everywhere 
success attended the main force and the flying columns. 
Sir Colin was made Lord Clyde, Oude was pacified by his 
victorious arms, and the great Indian mutiny was over. 

The marriage of the Princess Royal was solemnized on 
January 25, 1858. 

" Such a house full," wrote the Queen, " such bustle and 
excitement! After dinner a party and a very gay and 
pretty dance. It was very animated, all the princes dan- 
cing. Albert did not waltz. Ernest [Duke of Coburg] said 
it seemed like a dream to him to see Vicky dance as a bride, 
just as I did eighteen years ago ; and I still (so he said) look- 
ing very young. In 1840 poor dear papa [the late Duke of 
Coburg] danced with me as Ernest danced with Vicky." 

247 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

" January 25th. 

"The second most eventftd day in my life as regards 
feelings. I felt as if I were being married over again my- 
self, only much more nervous, for I had not that blessed 
feeling which I had then, which raises and supports one, 
of giving myself up for life to him whom I loved and wor- 
shipped then and ever." 

When all was ready for proceeding to the Chapel Royal 
at St. James's Palace, the Queen and Crown Princess were 
daguerreo typed together with the Prince, "but," says the 
Queen, " I trembled so, my likeness has come out indistinct. 
Then came the time to go. The sun was shining brightly ; 
thousands had been out since very early, shouting, bells 
ringing, etc. Albert and uncle, in field-marshal's uniform 
with batons, and the two eldest boys, went first. Then 
the three girls in pink satin trirmned with Newport lace, 
Alice with a wreath, and the two others with only bou- 
quets in their hair of cornflowers and marguerites. Next 
the four boys in Highland dress. The hall full. The 
flourish of trumpets and cheering of thousands made my 
heart sink within me. Vicky was in the carriage with me, 
sitting opposite. At St. James's took her into a dressing- 
room prettily arranged, where were uncle, Albert, and the 
eight bridesmaids, who looked charming in white tulle 
with wreaths and bouquets of pink roses and white heather. 
Went into the gallery, where mamma (looking so hand- 
some in violet velvet trimmed with ermine, and white silk 
and violet) and the Cambridges were. All the foreign 
princes and princesses, except uncle, the Prince of Prussia, 
and Prince Albert of Prussia, were already in the chapel. 

"Then the procession was formed, just as at my mar- 
riage, only how small the former royal family has be- 
come! Mamma last before me — then Lord Palmerston 
with the sword of State — then Bertie and Alfred, I with the 
two little boys on either side, and the three girls behind. 
The effect was very solemn and impressive as we passed 
through the rooms, down the staircase, and across a cov- 
ered in court. 

248 




THE QUEEN IN 1855 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

" The chapel, though too small, looked extremely impos- 
ing and well — full as it was of so many elegantly dressed 
ladies, uniforms, etc. The Archbishop at the altar, and 
on either side of it the royal personages. Fritz looked 
pale and much agitated, but behaved with the greatest self- 
possession, bowing to us, and then kneeling down in a 
most devotional manner. 

"Then came the bride's procession, and our darling 
flower looked very touching and lovely, with such an in- 
nocent, confident, and serious expression, her veil hanging 
back over her shoulders, walking between her beloved father 
and dearest Uncle Leopold, who had been at her christen- 
ing and confirmation, and was himself the widower of 
Princess Charlotte, heiress to the throne of this country — 
Albert's and my uncle, mamma's brother, and one of the 
wisest kings in Europe! 

" My last fear of being overcome vanished on seeing 
Vicky's quiet, calm, and composed manner. It was 
beautiful to see her kneeling with Fritz, their hands joined, 
and the train borne by the eight young ladies, who looked 
like a cloud of maidens hovering round her, as they knelt 
near her. Dearest Albert took her by the hand to give her 
away; reminded me vividly of having in the same way 
proudly, tenderly, confidently, most lovingly knelt by him 
on this very spot, and having our hands joined there. 
The music was very fine, the Archbishop very nervous. 
Fritz spoke very plainly, Vicky too. 

" When the ceremony was over we both embraced Vicky 
tenderly, but she shed not one tear, and then she kissed her 
grandmother, and I Fritz. She then went up to her new 
parents, and we crossed over to the dear Prince and Princess, 
who were both much moved, Albert shaking hands with 
them and I kissing both and pressing their hands with a 
most happy feeling. My heart was so full. 

"Then the bride and bridegroom left hand - in - hand, 
followe d by the supporters, the ' Wedding March ' by Men- 
delssohn being played, and we all went up to the Throne 
Room to sign the register. The young couple first signed, 

249 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

then the parents of both, and all the princes and princesses 
present, including the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, who 
had come in, resplendent with pearls. I felt so moved, 
so overjoyed and relieved, that I could have embraced ev- 
erybody." 

The following letter from the Queen will be of interest 
here: 

"Buckingham Palace, February 4, 1858. 

"Your very kind and feeling letter touched us both 
much. Tuesday [marriage of the Princess Royal] was a 
dreadful day, and she [the Princess] also writes : ' Nobody 
knows how I suffered leaving you. I can survive anji;hing 
since I have gone through to-day.' She says her whole 
comfort is in her husband, whose kindness she cannot 
describe. The passage was excellent, and the delay in 
arriving at Antwerp was an advantage, as it gave her a 
day's quiet and fresh air, which always restores her. 

"We have had most affectionate letters from both this 
morning, written on board, and have heard of their de- 
parture from Brussels, but the blank seems to me at times 
unbearable. I feel quite bowed down for a moment by it. 

"My dearest husband, too, who loves his dear child so 
much, and is worshipped by her, feels it very much, but he 
never thinks of himself. You can so well enter into my 
feelings, as you have gone through the same, though you 
never had such a distant separation as is ours." 

The Prince wrote to his daughter at Berlin on February 
II, 1858: "You have now entered upon your new home, 
and been received and welcomed on all sides with the great- 
est friendship and cordiality. This kindly and trustful 
advance of a whole nation towards an entire stranger must 
have kindled and confirmed within you the determination 
to show yourself in every way worthy of such feelings, 
and to reciprocate and requite them by the steadfast res- 
olution to devote the whole energies of your life to this 
people of your new home. 

" To Him who has shaped everything so happily, I am 
grateful from the very depths of my soul for the happy 

250 



STIRRING TIMES OF PEACE AND WAR 

climax to the most important period of your life. Dear 
child, I would fain have been in the crowd to see your en- 
trance, and to hear what the multitude said of you; so, 
too, is it with mamma. We are, however, kept admirably 
informed of everything by the telegraph and post and 
papers. The telegraph must have been amazed when it 
wrote: 'The whole royal family is enchanted with my 
wife.— F. W.'" 

Meantime, Lord Palmerston, according to his previous- 
ly expressed purpose, brought in a measure for consolidat- 
ing the government of India under the Crown, and carried 
it by a majority of one hundred and forty-five. He seemed 
to stand in a sure place, and was himself at the height of 
his personal popularity; and yet, in a few days, he was 
suddenly hurled from power. 

On January 14, 1858, an attempt was made to assas- 
sinate Napoleon III. by a gang of desperadoes, headed 
by Orsini, whose headquarters had previously been in 
London. Not without reason, it was felt in France that 
such men ought not to be able to find shelter in this country. 
The French Ambassador spoke in London to this effect, 
and Lord Palmerston was anxious to meet the French half- 
way, and desired to make England a less comfortable 
abode for assassins. 

But at this moment the officers of the French army, 
who were received by their Emperor in a deputation, ir- 
ritated by the attempt against his life, used language 
which was received with resentment by the English Press. 
Lord Palmerston's bill had been read a first time, but the 
popular opinion changing enabled Lord Derby to move 
an amendment to the second reading, which was carried 
against Lord Palmerston, who resigned. 

Lord Palmerston visited Louis Napoleon and the Em- 
press, and said of his hosts: "They were all very civil 
and courteous, and the Emperor told me his ideas with 
regard to giving the unenfranchised the power to vote." 

251 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

The year 1861 was a terrible one for the Queen. It 
began with the death of her mother, the Duchess of Kent. 

Frogmore, a pleasant house situated among the oaks 
and shrubberies in Windsor Home Park, at the foot of 
the slope to the south of the castle, had been the home 
of the Duchess since the marriage of her daughter with 
Prince Albert. At first the Duchess was very often near 
her, and accordingly enjoyed the little parties she was able 
to give when her daughter could be her guest. She was 
a woman most kindly and generous and excellent. To 
children she was always most hospitable, delighting in 
nothing more than a large party at which young people 
could enjoy themselves. 

At a ball she gave shortly before her death she invited 
many Eton boys, who had been told that if they were 
kept by the Duchess longer than a certain hour at night 
they would be excused from morning chapel. Several of 
us had determined to be excused this chapel service if 
possible. We enjoyed ourselves much, especially a quaint 
country dance called "The Grandfather," in which the 
Queen and Prince danced as gayly as anybody, and we all 
jumped over the handkerchief they and their partners held, 
this being one of the figures of the dance, which made each 
couple in turn hold a handkerchief and go down the line 
making the others jump over it. 

But all good things come to an end. The last dance 
was over; the Queen and Prince drove back to the castle; 
the Duchess retired ; and still the appointed hour had not 
yet come that would excuse us from the morning chapel. 

252 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

We were very naughty, for we stayed until lights were being 
turned out, when everybody had quitted the lower rooms 
except a few servants, who were anxious we should be 
gone. We then made our adieu ; but one of the boys in- 
cautiously had let out the reason of our prolonged stay. 
A day or two afterwards we found to our horror and sur- 
prise that her Majesty had caused inquiries to be made 
of our masters if it were indeed true that Eton boys had 
overstayed their time in order to escape their duties of the 
following morning. Confession did not make things better. 

It was not till March 15th that our kindly hostess of that 
evening died at the age of seventy-six, and on the an- 
niversary of her death her daughter was wont ever after- 
wards to pay a visit to the beautiful mausoleum she erected 
on the island in the lake in front of Frogmore, a building 
in which she placed an excellent statue of the Duchess. 

The end of the year was marked by that terrible loss which 
the Queen suffered in the death of her husband, which 
altered the whole of her life, making the forty years she 
survived him one long homage to his memory. 

The brief and sad story of the fatal illness of Prince 
Albert, who for some weeks had been in poor health, began 
on December i, 186 1, when he was still unwilling to give 
way and took a short walk in the garden below his win- 
dows ; he went also to the chapel in the castle, and looked, 
the Queen thought, "very wretched and ill, but insisted 
on going through all the kneeling. He came to luncheon, 
but could eat nothing. Sir James Clark and Dr. Jenner 
came over, and were much disappointed at finding Albert 
so very uncomfortable. 

" He came to our family dinner, but could eat nothing ; 
yet he was able to talk, and even to tell stories. After 
dinner he sat quietly listening to Alice and Marie [Princess 
Leiningen] playing, and hoped to get to sleep. I joined 
him at half-past eleven, and he said he was shivering with 
the cold, and could not sleep at all. 

"Next day he was no better. I was so distressed," 
says the Queen in her Journal. "He did not dress, but 

253 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

lay upon the sofa, and I read to him." Yet he was able 
to see Lord Methuen and Colonel Francis Se5miour, who 
had returned from Portugal, where they had been sent for 
the funeral of the King. He said that if his own illness 
was fever, it would be fatal to him. He was unable to dine. 

"Next day he would take nothing hardly: no broth, 
no rusk, or bread — nothing. My anxiety is great, and 
I feel utterly lost when he, to whom I confide all, is in such 
a listless state, and hardly smiles. Sir James Clark ar- 
rived, and was grieved to see no more improvement, but 
was not discouraged. Albert rested in the bedroom and 
liked being read to, but no books suited him, neither Silas 
Marner nor The Warden. Lever's Dodd Family I subse- 
quently tried, but he disliked it, so we decided to have one 
of Sir Walter Scott's to-morrow." 

On the 4th the Queen said he was looking very wretched 
and woe-begone, and would only take half a cup of tea. 
" He afterwards came to his sitting-room, where I left him 
so wretched that I was dreadfully overcome and alarmed. 
Alice was reading to him; he was very restless, haggard, 
and suffering, though at times he seemed better. I was 
sadly nervous, with ups and downs of hope and fear, while 
Alice was reading The Talisman in the bedroom, where 
he was lying on the bed. He seemed in a very uncom- 
fortable, panting state, which frightened us. Dr. Jenner 
said the Prince must eat, and he was going to tell him so, 
that the illness would be tedious, and that completely starv- 
ing himself, as he had done, would not do. 

" Yet he asked about news, and heard with great sorrow 
of the death of Lady Canning at Calcutta." 

On the 5th the Queen says : " He did not smile or take 
much notice of me. He was on the sofa, but complained 
of his wretched condition, and asked what it could be and 
how long this state of things might last. His manner 
all along was so unlike himself, and he had sometimes 
such a strange, wild look. I left him to get dressed in a 
state of cruel anxiety, though greatly reassured by hearing 
that the doctors thought him better. He slept for some 

254 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

time, and the improvement seemed to continue; taking 
some nourishment. 

"Alice continued to read to him. In the evening he 
seemed more himself; most dear and affectionate when 
I went in with little Beatrice, whom he kissed. He quite 
laughed at some of her new French verses, which I made 
her repeat. Then he held her little hand in his for some 
time, and she stood looking at him. He then dozed off, 
when I left, not to disturb him. 

" Dr. Jenner was very anxious he should undress and 
go to bed, but he would not, and he walked over to his dress- 
ing-room and lay down there, saying he would have a 
gQod night ; but it did not bring rest. By eight he was up, 
and I found him [on December 6th] seated in his sitting- 
room, looking weak and exhausted, and complaining of 
there being no improvement, and he did not know what his 
illness could come from. I told him it was overwork and 
worry. He said, ' It is too much ; you must speak to the 
Ministers.' 

" I felt quite upset when the doctors came in, and I saw 
that they thought him less well. I went to my room and 
felt as if my heart would break. He only took a cup of 
tea while I was there, and choked very much. 

"The doctors now said that they had all along been 
watching the patient's state, suspecting fever, but unable 
to judge what it might be and how to treat him until that 
morning; that the fever must have its course — namely, 
a month dating from the beginning, which they considered 
to have been the day Albert went to Sandhurst [November 
22d]. They were not alarmed — saw no bad symptoms; 
Albert himself was not to know it, as he unfortunately 
had a horror of fever. 

" What an awful trial this is, to be deprived for so long 
of my guide, my support, my all! My heart is ready to 
burst; but I cheered up, remembering how many people 
had fever. Good Alice was very courageous and tried 
to comfort me. I seem to live in a dreadful dream. 

" Late in the day [December 7th] my angel lay in bed, 

255 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

and I sat by him watching. The tears fell fast as I thought 
of the days of anxiety, even if not of alarm, which were in 
store for us; the utter shipwreck of our plans, and the 
dreadful loss this long illness would be — publicly as well 
as privately. 

" And then, when I saw Sir James Clark and Dr. Jenner, 
I talked over what could have caused this illness. Great 
worry and far too hard work for long — that must be stopped. 
Dr. Jenner is going to sit up with him, as well as the valet. 
My poor darling; I kissed his hand and forehead. It is a 
terrible trial to be thus separated from him, and to see him 
in the hands of others, careful and devoted though they are. 

" December 8th. — When I returned from breakfast I 
found him lying on the bed in the Blue Room. The sun was 
shining brightly ; the room large and cheerful. He said, 
'It is so fine.' For the first time since his illness he asked 
for some music, and said, ' I should like to hear a fine chorale 
played at a distance.' We had a piano brought into the 
next room, and Alice played ' Eine Feste Burg ist Unser 
Gott' and another, and he listened, looking upward with 
such a sweet expression and with tears in his eyes. He 
then said in German, 'That is enough.' It was Sunday, 
and Kingsley preached, but I heard nothing." 

The Queen read Peveril of the Peak to the Prince, and 
he followed the story with interest, occasionally saying 
something about it. " When I went to him, after dinner, 
he was so pleased to see me, stroked my face and smiled, 
and called me ' dear little wife. ' His tenderness this even- 
ing, when he held my hand and stroked my face, touched 
me so much and made me so grateful. 

"Clark and Jenner desired, with the Ministers, that 
Dr. Watson and Sir Henry Holland should be called in 
consultation. There was some wandering on the 9th. 
He was so kind," wrote the Queen, "and liked me to hold 
his dear hand. Oh, it is an anxious time!" 

On the loth the Queen says : "Going through the door, 
when he was wheeled into an adjoining room, he turned 
to look at the beautiful picture of the Madonna which he 

256 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

gave me three years ago, and asked to stop and look at it, 
ever loving what is beautiful. 

"I found him a little excited about his letters, which 
Dr. Jenner asked him if I might open (they were about 
Alfred and Leopold) as yesterday. When I asked he 
said 'No,' and was afraid they contained bad news; but 
I soon quieted him, and by his desire read them to him. 
After lunch, I went again, when he asked me to read out 
of Varnhagen von Ense's Memoirs, and I remained with 
him until twenty minutes to four. The doctors are very 
much pleased with his state." 

"Dear Albert," the Queen says, "was very confused, 
but everything else was very satisfactory on the nth. 
Another good night, for which I thanked and blessed 
God. I went over at eight and found Albert sitting up to 
take his beef tea, over which he always laments most 
bitterly. I supported him, and he laid his dear head — his 
beautiful face, more beautiful than ever, has grown so 
thin — on my shoulder, and remained a little while, saying, 
'It is very comfortable so, dear child,' which made me 
so happy." 

As he was being assisted by the Queen to the sofa, he 
said, looking at his favorite picture of her, " It helps me 
through half the day." The Queen passed the greater 
part of the day with him, reading to him. 

On the 1 2th the fever increased, the breathing was shorter, 
but in the evening he said, " You have not forgotten the 
important communication to Nemours," whereupon the 
Queen asking what he meant, he answered, "The one 
Lord Palmerston told you to make to him about his neph- 
ews" — namely, that the Comte de Paris and the Due de 
Chartres ought not to remain in the American army if 
war were declared against England. 

On the 13th the breathing was quick and difficult. He 
did not take any notice of anything when wheeled to the 
sitting-room, and remained with hands clasped, looking 
silently out of the window. The Queen, in the afternoon, 
found there had been a sudden sinking of strength, but he 
■^ 257 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

was better in the evening, quite conscious, affectionate, 
and kind. 

On the 14th again there was a rally in the morning. " I 
went over at seven/' the Queen said, " as I usually did. It 
was a bright morning, the sun just rising and shining 
brightly. The room had a sad look of night watching — 
the candles burned down to their sockets, the doctors look- 
ing anxious. I went in. Never can I forget how beauti- 
ful my darling looked lying there with his face lit up by the 
rising sun — his eyes unusually bright, gazing, as it were, 
on unseen objects, but not taking any notice of me." 

The Prince of Wales had been simimoned by telegraph 
from Maddingley, and arrived at three in the morning, and 
was then told of the anxiety about his father, to whose 
room he went later on, the Queen finding him there when 
she entered at ten. 

The Queen's Journal notes that the day was very fine 
and very bright. " I asked whether I might go out for a 
breath of air. The doctors answered, 'Yes, just close by 
for a quarter of an hour.' At about twelve I went on the 
terrace with Alice. The military band was playing at a 
distance, and I burst into tears and came home again ; I 
hurried over at once. Dr. Watson was in the room. I 
asked him whether Albert was not better, as he seemed 
stronger, though he took very little notice. He answered, 
'We are very much frightened, but don't and won't give 
up hope.' They would not let Albert sit up to take his 
nourishment, as he wasted his strength by doing so. ' The 
pulse keeps up,' they said; 'it is not worse.' Every hour, 
every minute was a gain, and Sir James Clark was very 
hopeful. He had seen much worse cases, but the breath- 
ing was the alarming thing ; it was so rapid. There was 
what they call a dusky hue about his face and hands which 
I knew was not good. I made some observation about it 
to Dr. Jenner, and was alarmed by seeing that he seemed 
to notice it. 

"Albert folded his arms and began arranging his hair 
just as he used to do when well and dressing. These were 

258 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

said to be bad signs. Strange 1 As though he were pre- 
paring for another and greater journey." 

The doctors still tried to alleviate the Queen's distress by 
expressions of hope. 

"About half -past five," she continues, "I went in and 
sat beside his bed, which had been wheeled towards the 
middle of the room. ' Good little wife,' he said, and kissed 
me, and then gave a sort of piteous moan, or rather sigh, 
not of pain, but as if he felt that he was leaving me, and 
laid his head upon my shoulder, and I put my arm under 
his. But the feeling passed away again, and he seemed 
to wander and to doze, and yet to know all. Sometimes I 
could not catch what he said. Occasionally he spoke in 
French. 

" Alice came in and kissed him, and he took her hand, 
Bertie, Helena, Louise, and Arthur came in one after the 
other and took his hand, and Arthur kissed it, but he was 
dozing and did not perceive them. Then he opened his 
dear eyes and asked for Sir Charles Phipps, who came in 
and kissed his hand. Then again his dear eyes were 
closed. General Grey and Sir Thomas Biddulph each 
came in and kissed his hand, and were dreadfully overcome. 

" It was a terrible moment, but, thank God, I was able to 
command myself, and to be perfectly calm, and remained 
sitting by his side. So things went on, not really worse 
and not better. " 

It was thought necessary to change his bed, and he was 
even able to get out of bed and sit up. He tried to get into 
bed alone, but could not, and was helped on to the other 
bed. The doctors said plenty of air passed through the 
lungs, and so long as this was so there was still hope. 

The Queen had retired for a little to the adjoining room, 
but soon returned, as the breathing became worse. She 
found him bathed in perspiration, which the doctors said 
might be an effort of nature to throw off the fever. She 
whispered to him, "It is your own little wife," and he was 
able to kiss her. He seemed half dozing, quite calm, and 
only wishing to be left undisturbed, as he used to be when 

259 



VICTORIA R.I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

tired and not well. The Queen had hardly retired, some 
time afterwards when a rapid change set in and she had to 
return, for it was plain that the end was near. 

She took his left hand — which was already cold, although 
the breathing was quite gentle — and knelt by the side of 
the bed. On the other side was Princess Alice, while at the 
foot knelt the Prince of Wales and Princess Helena. Gen- 
eral Bruce, the Dean of Windsor, Sir Charles Phipps, and 
General Grey were also present. The breathing grew 
quieter and quieter. At a quarter past ten it ceased, and 
the Queen was left to bear alone the burden of her sov- 
ereignty. 

Ministers and friends alike feared for her reason, so ter- 
rible was her distress. But great as it was, she showed 
marvellous power of self-command. The Princess Alice 
was the greatest comfort, and after her Lady Augusta 
Stanley and the Duchess of Sutherland, who at once drove 
over from Cliveden. 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 



HER MAJESTY'S FAVORITE HYMN 

"PEACE! PERFECT PEACE!" 

Words by the Right Reverend Bishop Bickersteth. 
Music by C. T. Caldwell. 



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A-MEN. 



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" Thou tmlt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee." 

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin ? 
The Blood of Jesus whispers peace within. 

Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties press 'd? 
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest. 

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round? 
On Jesus' Bosom naught but calm is found. 

Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away ? 
In Jesus' keeping we are safe and they. 

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown? 
Jesus we know, and He is on the Throne. 

Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours? 
Jesus has vanquish 'd death and all its powers. 

It is enough: earth's struggles soon shall cease. 
And Jesus calls us to heaven's perfect peace. Amen." 

261 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Dean Stanley wrote: "How great the calamity is may 
be measured by thinking that it transcends even anything 
which the passionate burst of public grief has ventured to 
express, or even knows or thinks of. No public death 
could have affected me so much. 

" I do not suppose that I should ever have known more 
of him, but so long as he lived I felt sure that there was a 
steady support to all that was most excellent in the English 
Church. That barrier is now thrown down, and God pro- 
tect us from the spirits that will rush in through the chasm. " 

Of the funeral on December 23d he wrote : " It was a pro- 
foundly mournful and impressive sight. Indeed, consid- 
ering the magnitude of the event, and the persons present, 
all agitated by the same emotion, I do not think I have ever 
seen or shall ever see anything so affecting." 

The body for the time was placed in the vault of St. 
George's Chapel. The Queen had been persuaded to go 
to Osborne. 

Dean Stanley noted in his diary* for December 14, 1862 : 
" Anniversary of Prince Consort's death. Two special ser- 
vices in the Queen's private room. The Queen had de- 
sired that I should read some part of the last chapters of 
St. John, some prayers, and perhaps an extract from my 
sermon in the morning. I went at 9.45 to Mrs. Bruce's 
room, and with her and Lady Augusta to the fatal room. 
I went in first. There was the valet who had been with 
him at his death ; there was a table placed for me. In a 
few moments they came in. I began by kneeling down 
and reading two prayers, chiefly made up from the burial 
service ; I then sat down and read St. John xiv. 1-6, 18—20, 
and 27, 28 ; again from St. John xvi. 7, 16-22, 28, 32, 33 ; 
and upon these verses read about five pages of reflections 
which I had written in the morning ; then two more pray- 
ers and the Lord's Prayer, and the enlarged form of the 
blessing. 

" The Queen then rose from the bedside, where she had 

* From Life of Dean Stanley. 
262 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

been kneeling, kissed the princesses — I think the princes 
kissed her hand — then she kissed the Bruces, and then 
came across to me. I knelt and kissed her hand, and she 
passed away with all the others. 

" The room was almost exactly as it was when I saw it 
before, except that there were fresh garlands of flowers on 
the beds and round the bust [of the Prince]. It was a very 
bright morning, and there was nothing of funeral gloom 
in the room. The great State bed in which the kings had 
died had been moved out early in the illness, to make room 
for two smaller beds. 

" I then returned to my room and revised my sermon. 
The service was at twelve — litany and communion 
service, as usual. There was the usual congregation — 
none of the family present except the Prince of Wales 
and Prince Louis of Hesse. You will be pleased to hear 
that the Queen expressed to Mrs. Bruce the greatest com- 
fort and satisfaction in the sermon of this morning, and 
had desired that I would print it privately for her use, 
and also asked me to read it again this evening at about 
9.30, the hour of the death, which I did. There were 
present the whole family, the Bruces, the Duchess of 
Athole, Lady Caroline Barrington, and a few servants. 

"The beautiful mausoleum at Frogmore is now suf- 
ficiently completed to have the consecration ceremony 
performed. At eleven the Dean of Christ Church arrived, 
and with him and the Bishop of Oxford we went to the 
mausoleum. The whole household was there. The 
Bishop, the two deans, and two or three Windsor clergy 
were on a raised platform at the east end, immediately 
above the sarcophagus. The Queen and all the children 
came in when every one was assembled. They remained 
inside while the clergy and choir walked round chanting 
the psalm. The Bishop then read the two or three pray- 
ers extremely well, and then were sung two hymns, I 
could not see, indeed I did not venture to look at, the 
Queen. 

"Then was read the deed of consecration, prefaced 

263 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

by the letter of the Queen herself, by Sir Robert Philli- 
more. Then she and the family passed out, and we re- 
turned as we came. The Dean of Christ Church received 
a message to stay for the night, and had an interview 
both with the Prince of Wales and the Queen. 

" After dinner I was summoned to the Queen. She was 
sitting with Princess Alice. There was a good deal of 
conversation about Essays and Reviews about the Apoca- 
lypse and Psalms — most interesting. This morning 
(Thursday) I walked with the household to the mau- 
soleum. The cof&n had been moved early in the morn- 
ing, and deposited in a temporary sarcophagus. We all 
assembled outside. Then came the Queen and children, 
who passed in first. The Dean of Windsor stood alone 
at a small table and read passages from the Bible won- 
derfully appropriate — 'The Sepulchre in the Garden,' 
' The New Sepulchre/ etc., and an admirable prayer. He 
was deeply affected, and could hardly struggle through. 
Then the Queen and children went and knelt by the 
coffin, each depositing a wreath, and passed out. Each 
of the household, from Lord Granville downward, went 
up and deposited a wreath in like manner. It was ex- 
tremely touching, more so than the ceremony yesterday 
— as much so almost as the funeral." 

General Bruce wrote in January, 1862, to Dean Stanley 
that it was the wish of the lamented Prince Consort, 
when he decided that the Prince of Wales should make a 
tour in the Holy Land, to have the benefit of his, the 
Dean's, advice and knowledge with regard to the details. 
" I have been directed by the Queen," the General wrote, 
" to ask if you can conveniently come to Osborne for a few 
days." The Dean went, and wrote, "As I was sitting in 
the Equerries' Room at Osborne, reading the Times, Gen- 
eral Bruce came in and sat down. He seemed uneasy, as 
if wishing to say something, and at last I laid down the 
paper. He then turned to me and said, 'I hardly know 
how to approach what I am going to say, but is it totally 
impossible that you should go with us?' [to the Holy 

264 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

Land]. I was silent. He went on, 'The Prince Consort 
had often said, "What would it be if Professor Stanley 
should go with you?" I fear it is impossible. The Queen 
has said the same thing to me since you came, and this 
morning the Prince of Wales said the same thing from 
himself. They do not urge it, they do not intend to re- 
quest it, because they know what it is that they ask ; but 
if you could go it would be inestimable. ' Such a thought 
had never occurred to me before I came here ; but, to speak 
quite openly, I doubt whether I am the proper person. It 
is neither compliment nor blame to me to say one thing or 
the other. I should not be a suitable companion for him." 

The Queen wrote that the Archbishop of Canterbury 
could not have chosen better for her son. When the Dean's 
mother urged on him the duty of accepting the responsi- 
bility which might make him of service to the Queen, he at 
once consented. 

Lady Augusta wrote to Miss Stanley that the Queen, 
when she heard of the illness of Dean Stanley's mother, 
which took place soon after he had started, said, " Oh, that 
was Mr. Stanley's only hesitation, only doubt, about go- 
ing — the unwillingness to leave his mother." It was only 
when his mother's own wishes were made clear that the 
Queen, deeply touched and affected, desired that all she 
felt might be expressed, " for you, for her, for Mr. Stanley, 
and to say that nothing should be done but what Mrs. 
Stanley decided." 

The Queen took the greatest interest in the letters written 
from Palestine. The Dean's mother died : but Stanley, 
knowing what her wishes had been, continued his journey 
with the Prince. 

The following extracts concerning this journey are taken 
from the Life and Letters of Dean Stanley. 

"Late in the afternoon we reached Bethany," he says. 
"I then took my place close beside the Prince, every one 
else falling back by design or accident, and at the head of 
the cavalcade we moved on towards the famous view. This 
was the one half-hour which, throughout the journey, I had 

265 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

determined to have alone with the Prince, and I succeed- 
ed. I pointed out each stage of the triumphal entry of 
Christ — the fig-tree, the stones, the first sight of Jerusalem, 
the acclamations, the palms, the olive branches, the second 
sight where He beheld the city and wept over it. The 
whole cavalcade paused on that long ledge. It was as im- 
pressive to me, and as authentic, as ever. I thought of 
Ammergau, I thought of the many times I had talked 
over this very moment with my dearest mother, I turned 
round to call the attention of the rest of the party, and as I 
turned I saw and bade the Prince look round to the only 
detail which could have been worthy of notice on such an 
occasion — a flock of white sheep and black goats feeding 
on the mountain-side, the groundwork of the great Parable, 
delivered also from this hill-side, on the Day of Judgment. 
The cavalcade moved on again, and I fell to the rear, feel- 
ing that I had at least done my best. By the valley of 
Jehosaphat we returned, and so the day closed. 

" The Mosque of Hebron was opened for the first time to 
a European and a Christian. Turkish soldiers guarded 
the streets, where hardly a face was visible as we passed, 
only the solitary figure of a guard standing on every 
house-top, evidently to secure that no stones should be 
thrown down. In short, it was a complete military occu- 
pation. 

"At last we reached the comer of the great Jewish en- 
closure. Up the sharp flight of stairs, gazing at the huge 
polished stones, we mounted. At the summit we turned 
inside, and here imimediately were met by the chief guar- 
dian of the Mosque. No one could be more courteous than 
he was, declaring that for no one but the eldest son of the 
Queen of England could he have allowed this. Sooner 
should the princes of any other nation have passed over 
his body. There was a deep groan Trom the attendants 
when the shrine of Abraham was opened, redoubled at the 
shrine of Jacob and of Joseph. You may imagine my 
feelings when I thrust my arm down as far as I could to 
reach into the rocky vault, and when I knelt down to as- 

266 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

certain how far the tomb of Abraham was part of the na- 
tive mountain. 

"When we all came out I know not what feelings pre- 
ponderated. I must say, the person for whom I felt the 
most was General Bruce. He said he had been desirous 
of making the attempt to get into the Mosque not only on 
the Prince's account, but on my own, and the Prince from 
the first had made my entrance an indispensable con- 
dition of his going at all." 

On April 12th the Dean wrote: "Three-quarters of an 
hour before sunset the prayers of the Samaritan Passover 
began. Presently there suddenly appeared among the 
worshippers six sheep guarded by some of the youths. 
They wandered to and fro in the crowds, so innocent, and 
the young men who attended them so simple in their ap- 
pearance, that it was like a pastoral scene in a play. 

"The sun, which had hitherto burnished up the Medi- 
terranean Sea in the distance, now sank very nearly to the 
farthest western ridge. The recitation of prayers became 
more vehement; indeed it was, I believe, the recitation 
from the early chapters of Exodus. The sheep were driven 
more closely together, still perfectly playful. 

" The sun touched the ridge, the youths burst into a wild 
chant, and drew their long, bright knives, and brandished 
them in the air. In a moment the sheep were thrown on 
their backs, and the long knives were drawn across their 
throats. There were a few silent convulsions, ' dumb as a 
sheep that openeth not his mouth,' and the six forms lay 
lifeless on the ground, with the blood streaming from them 
— the one annual Jewish sacrifice that remains in the 
world. 

"In the blood the young men dipped their fingers and 
marked the foreheads and noses of all the children; not 
the doors of the tent, nor the faces of the grown-ups. It 
was, as they explained, a kind of relic of the past, of which 
only this fragment remains. 

" The next process was the skinning and roasting. For 
this a trough and deep hole were prepared. In both, vines 

267 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

and brambles, those of Gotham's parable, were thrown 
and set on fire. Over these, in the trough, were placed 
two caldrons, and again, amid the recitation of Exodus 
xii., the water boiled, and when it had boiled enough, was 
poured by the same youths over the dead sheep to take off 
their wool. Their legs were torn off and thrown aside, 
and the sheep themselves were spitted on long poles, and 
were hoisted along, and were prepared to be sunk into the 
second hole filled with burning faggots to roast them. 

" By this time it was past eight, and the question arose 
how long would it be before the feast took place. But I 
remained, tried to sleep in the Samaritan's tent on that 
wild mountain height, in the midst of this ancient sect, to 
witness the only direct vestige of the Jewish Passover. 
At half-past one we were aroused. The moon was still 
bright and high in the heavens. The whole male com- 
munity was gathered around the hole, now closed up with 
wet earth, where the six sheep were being roasted. Mats 
were arranged for them, on which we were not allowed to 
tread. When the hole was opened, a cloud of steam and 
smoke burst forth, reminding me of Bishop Heber's line : 

" ' Smokes on Gerizim's mount, Samaria's sacrifice/ 

and out were brought, on their long poles, the sheep, their 
heads and ears still visible, black from the oven. 

"They were thrown on the mats, which were laid out 
between two files of Samaritans. Those who were in 
white had ropes round their waists (girded), staves in their 
hands, and shoes on their feet. A wild, long chant burst 
out. It suddenly stopped, and down they all sank on 
their haunches, and set to work on the masses of flesh be- 
fore them. They did not seize it with so much haste as I 
had been led to expect, but they ate in perfect silence, and 
so rapidly that in ten minutes it was all gone but a few 
bones and scraps, which were gathered up in the mats and 
placed in a bundle over the fire, which was once more kin- 
dled. By its light, and with candles, the hole was searched 
for fragments, as if they were the particles of sacramental 

268 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

bread. These were thrown on the burning mass, and the 
huge bonfire was stirred up, which illuminated the moun- 
tain, and then gradually died away, and left us to return 
home." 

"On Easter Eve," he writes, "the Prince and I rode 
alone over the hills. He made the best proposals for the 
arrangement of the communion the next day, and spoke 
much of you and of our dear mother and of his father. 
Tt will be a sad Easter for me,' he said. 'Yes,' I said, 
' and a sad one for me, but I am sure that if your father and 
my mother could look down upon us, they would be well 
satisfied that we should both be at this time in this place. 

"Suddenly we reached the ledge of the cliffs, and the 
whole view of the lake [of Galilee] burst upon us. We 
quite cried out with surprise and pleasure, so unexpected 
and so beautiful. It was, indeed, that view of which I am 
always afraid to speak, lest the glory of the recollection 
should tempt me to exaggerate its real character. But 
that evening, the setting sun throwing its soft light over 
the descent, the stormy clouds flying past — it was truly 
grand. And when we found our tents pitched at the bot- 
tom of the hill by the old walls of Tiberias, on the very 
edge of the lake. General Bruce came up to me and said, 
'You have indeed done well.' 

" I went out early to look at the view. The eastern hills 
were dark, the sun behind the bank of black clouds poured 
down its first rays on the calm lake, and the western tops 
were tinged with golden light. We had our service* in the 
great tent. I began with the anthem, 'Christ our Pass- 
over,' then the special psalms, then Exodus xii. — especial- 
ly appropriate after the Samaritan Passover — Te Deum, 
Romans vi.. Jubilate, and then the whole communion 
service. I preached on John xxi., taking the chapter 
through piece by piece. 

"It was certainly a very solemn occasion, and I am 
thankful we had it there and not in Jerusalem amid the 
clatter of the contending Churches. After a long, quiet 
morning we strolled into the town, and then, glad to escape 

269 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

from it, walked along the shores to the hot springs, and 
thence far away to the hill immediately overhanging the 
exit of the Jordan. 

" Altogether it was to me the climax of the tour, to have 
had our Good Friday service at Nazareth and our Easter 
communion on the shores of the Sea of Galilee." 

They then went on to Damascus by the hills of NaphtaU. 
" In the midst of them, on a grand upland plain, there was 
a place I particularly wished to see, Kadesh Naphtali, the 
holy place of that great tribe, the birthplace of Barak, and 
close by the scene of the murder of Sisera, which is de- 
scribed in Judges iv. as taking place under the terebinth 
(oak-tree). It was delightful to see how many terebinths 
still grew on the plain. H.R.H. and I tore away a small 
branch, he for the Princess Royal, for whom he has made 
a collection of flowers and leaves from almost every famous 
spot he has seen." 

The letters of this part of the journey close with a de- 
scription of Lebanon's cedars. "The cedars! Imagine 
a vast semicircle of mountains, the upper range covered 
with snow, the lower range, which is, in fact, the deposit of 
glaciers, shutting up this upper range ; and again, in the 
heart of the lower range, a rich, green, cultivated valley, 
penetrating till it ends in rocky barrenness. Exactly in 
the centre of the view, just appearing above the lower range 
and under the snowy range, you see a black, massive 
clump, the only vegetation on the whole horizon, till your 
eye descends on. the green valley below. That is the cedar 
grove. 

"We lost sight of them until mounting some intervening 
rocks and standing on the edge of a ravine which parted us 
from them. One after another, through the mist which 
was floating around us, the trees appeared close at hand. 
The second view was perhaps disappointing, for what then 
are seen are only the youngest cedars, which form the out- 
skirts of the grove ; but in a few minutes we were in the 
midst of them, and although again they were different from 
what I had expected, the whole effect was most impressive, 

270 





^'>' 1 - -.'■> : 



,4 ^^^-"^^ 




THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

" They stand on a little island, as it were, planted on the 
centre of the barren mountains, the island consisting of 
seven hills, or knolls, of which six are arranged round the 
seventh — a square mount, in the midst of which stands the 
rude Maronite chapel. 

" These knolls give a peculiarity to the place for which I 
was not prepared. The great old cedars are not, as I imag- 
ined, all collected together, but are interspersed with their 
younger brethren, two or three standing on the central 
knoll, four or five on the hill nearer the snow. In one re- 
spect they are inferior to their English descendants — they 
have not wide, spreading branches feathering to the ground, 
probably owing to their closeness to each other. One of 
them, I observed, actually supported in its gigantic arm a 
lesser tree whose trunk wasK^uite decayed ; but their trunks 
are very remarkable — so huge, so irregular, so venerable, 
the gray scales of bark covering them as with a skin. It 
was impossible for us to carry off a section of a fallen tree. 
All were pleased to have seen them. The Prince was very 
anxious that we should have the service under their shade." 

Souvenirs of this tour are still preserved in the museum 
at the Swiss Cottage at Osborne. 

The sadness and mourning which followed the death of 
the Prince Consort was, in March, 1863, changed for a 
while to gladness, when Princess Alexandra of Denmark, 
the bride of the Prince of Wales, made her public entry into 
London as she passed from Gravesend to Windsor. 

The Corporation of London spent £40,000 upon decora- 
tions, triumphal arches, and illuminations, and every pri- 
vate house along the route the Princess was to take showed 
its own loyalty by decking windows and balconies with 
bright colors. The streets were thronged with a marvel- 
lous crowd, such as on great occasions only London can 
show. 

At the marriage ceremony in St. George's Chapel, the 
Knights of the Garter wore their robes. The Princess was 
attired in a dress of white satin and Honiton lace. Among 
her jewels she wore a rividre of diamonds given by the Cor- 

271 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

poration of London. Nothing could exceed the joy of the 
people in welcoming to her new home so beautiful a bride. 
In 1864 came the dispute between Germany and Den- 
mark, and the question of the succession to the duchies of 
Schleswig-Holstein, a matter so intricate that it was said 
nobody could stand a competitive examination on the sub- 
ject. Austria and Prussia sent troops to the duchies, the 
war resulting in the defeat of the Danes and the loss of most 
of their mainland possessions. It was also the seed-ground 
of the contention between the invaders, which brought out 
clearly to the mind of Bismarck that it was necessary, in 
the interests of Prussia, to rid Germany of the power of the 
Hapsburgs. 

For many years following the death of the Prince Con- 
sort the Queen felt herself unequal to the strain on her 
nerves involved in taking part in public ceremonies of any- 
thing like a festive nature. At the same time she never 
lost an opportunity of showing her sympathy with all 
good works of a national character. The great military 
hospital at Netley was constantly visited by her, even dur- 
ing the earliest years of her sorrow. 

She went to Aberdeen to be present at the unveiling of 
the Prince Consort's statue in 1863, and said to the Pro- 
vost: "1 could not reconcile it to myself to remain at Bal- 
moral while such a tribute was being paid to his memory 
without making an exertion to show you personally the 
deep and heartfelt sense I entertain of your kindness and 
affection, and at the same time to- proclaim, in public, the 
unbounded reverence and admiration, the devoted love 
which fills my heart, for him whose loss must throw a last- 
ing gloom over my future life." 

In the strict attention she gave to all business matters, 
conscientiously apportioning her day so as to always be 
able to read through the despatches and attend to all pub- 
lic duties, the Queen followed what she knew would have 
been the wishes of her husband. She loved to visit the 
places associated with his performance of public duty 
wherever possible. She went with one son and three 

27Z 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

daughters to Coburg, revisiting all the houses, gardens, 
and woods she had known in happier days, and on the re- 
turn journey saw King Leopold for the last time in Bel- 
gium. In the year of the terrible German conflict she 
opened Parliament personally, declaring her consent to 
the marriage of Princess Helena to Prince Christian, a 
union which took place in July, 1866. 

Again, in the following year, she went to the House of 
Lords to open the session, and in May laid the first stone 
of the Albert Hall. She received the Sultan Abdul Azziz 
in 1867, and invested him, on board the royal yacht off 
Osborne, with the Order of the Garter, advantage being 
taken of a great parade of the fleet for the ceremony to be 
performed for the first time at sea. 

Another great parade of volunteers was held in 1868, 
when they were inspected by the Queen, and in the sum- 
mer she made one of those short visits to the Continent 
which she afterwards often enjoyed, staying this time for a 
month at Lucerne. 

People who did not know how fully occupied her time 
was in affairs of State were inclined to grumble at the rep- 
resentation of royalty not being more adequately brought 
before the public, and the Queen, with her usual frankness, 
desiring that no false impression giving expectation of a 
resumption of her bearing a part in scenes of festivity 
should exist, wrote, that all might know the exact position 
of the matter : 

"An erroneous impression seems generally to prevail, 
and has lately found frequent expression in the newspa- 
pers, that the Queen is about to resume the place in society 
which she occupied before her great affliction; that is, 
that she is about to hold Levees and Drawing-rooms in 
person, and to appear as before at Court balls, concerts, 
etc. This idea cannot be too explicitly contradicted. 

" The Queen appreciates the desire of her subjects to see 
her, and whatever she can do to gratify them in this loyal 
and affectionate wish she will do. Whenever any real ob- 
ject is to be attained by her appearing on public occasions, 

273 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

any national interest to be promoted, or anything to be 
encouraged which is for the good of the people, her Maj- 
esty will not shrink, as she has not shrunk, from any 
personal sacrifice or exertion, however painful. 

"But there are other and higher duties than of mere 
representation which are now thrown upon the Queen 
alone and unassisted — duties which she cannot neglect 
without injury to the public service — which weigh lin- 
ceasingly upon her, overwhelming her with work and 
anxiety. The Queen has labored conscientiously to dis- 
charge those duties till her health and strength, already 
shaken by the bitter and abiding desolation which has 
taken the place of her former happiness, have been im- 
paired. 

"To call upon her to undergo, in addition, the fatigue 
of those mere State ceremonies which can be equally well 
performed by other members of her family, is to ask her to 
run the risk of entirely disabling herself for the discharge 
of those other duties which cannot be neglected without 
serious injury to the public interest. 

"The Queen will, however, do what she can — in the 
manner least trying to her health, strength, and spirits — 
to meet the loyal wishes of her subjects, to afford that sup- 
port and countenance to society, and to give that encourage- 
ment to trade which is desired of her. More the Queen 
cannot do; and more the kindness and good feeling of 
her people will surely not exact of her." 

Mr. Holmes, in his excellent Life of the Queen, men- 
tions a long list of public institutions of various kinds 
which were opened at different times by the Queen in per- 
son. The deep debt of gratitude should also be mentioned 
here which the country owes to the Prince and Princess of 
Wales, who took upon themselves so large a portion of the 
burden of representation of sovereignty which the Queen 
herself was obliged unwillingly to relinquish. It may be 
said that from the time of their marriage to the time of their 
accession to the throne no worthy appeal for participation 
in any ceremony involving the national good and the ben- 

274 



THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT 

efit of the people was ever neglected by them — a record of 
devoted service to the public unmatched by any others in 
the position of heirs apparent. 

During the last few years of her life. Queen Victoria, 
notwithstanding the weight of advanced years and in- 
creasing infirmities, took part in more numerous public 
functions than had been her practice during the earlier 
period of her widowhood. At what a cost to herself she 
thus obeyed what she regarded as the calls of duty will 
never be known to the public generally. 



CHAPTER IX 

FROM THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

We must here note a series of events in Central Europe, 
and see how its map was changed, and how Bismarck 
triumphed. In 1870 the hour was struck for the comple- 
tion of his task of crowning his King as German Emperor, 
and giving England another discrowned monarch as a 
refugee in the person of Napoleon. Gigantic preparation 
had been made in Germany for the war. The army could 
be mobilized in twenty-four hours. Moltke had arranged 
where each corps was to take its place at the signal. Yet 
the King of Prussia did not want war. The cause of the 
outbreak was French jealousy of a proposal to put a Ho- 
henzoUern prince on the throne of Spain. No one about 
the King anticipated anything but some negotiations. 
The King went to drink the water at Ems. There the 
French Ambassador, Benedetti, began speaking to him on 
the promenade. King William, averse to continuing a 
conversation in such a place, indicated that another mo- 
ment had best be sought. Paris was told that King Will- 
iam had turned his back on her representative. Crowds 
shouted, "A Berlin." Louis Napoleon, believing the as- 
sertion of his War Minister, Le Boeuf, that all was ready, 
and thinking that his throne would be in danger if he hesi- 
tated, declared war. But the Prussian organization at 
once triumphed in the massing of troops on and beyond 
the frontier. The Prussian diplomacy won, in that it 
found all Germans on its side against the "hereditary 
enemy." They who had fought in 1866 marched side by 
side four years later. The tremendous events of the capt- 
ure of MacMahon's army at Sedan — the siege of Metz and 

276 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

capture of the whole French army under Bazaine — the 
siege of Paris — the capitulation of Paris — followed before 
the winter had come and gone. 

The Emperor Napoleon, ill and suffering so much that 
he could hardly sit on horseback, was taken prisoner at 
Sedan, capitulating with all his army, and, after a short 
stay as a prisoner of war at Wilhelmshohe, a beautiful 
place near Cassel, often called the German Versailles, 
came to England, where he and the Empress lived until 
his death at Chiselhurst. 

Soon after the re-establishment of peace on the Conti- 
nent, another of the Queen's daughters. Princess Louise, 
was married in March, 1871, the Queen returning to the 
old custom, which had always obtained in Britain before 
the overthrow of the Stuart dynasty, of allowing a sover- 
eign's daughter to marry in the country of her birth. This 
would probably never have been changed had it not been 
for the unfortunate alliances contracted in the Georgian 
era, which almost compelled the sovereign and Parliament 
to pass the law which deprived all royal marriages of le- 
gality which were not expressly sanctioned by themselves. 
It is obvious that, where there may be a question of suc- 
cession to the crown, the sovereign and Parliament must 
decide as to whether the marriage shall or shall not involve 
resignation of any right of possible succession. 

There had been some opposition in the House of Com- 
mons with regard to the marriage of each of the Queen's 
children until, in this instance, it dwindled to the adverse 
vote of one man, and he was a personal friend of the bride- 
groom, and unfortunately blind ! 

The year was memorable in the triumph of peace in the 
Anglo-Saxon world, by the conclusion of the treaty at 
Washington, by which the Queen's representatives ex- 
pressed in a friendly spirit the regret felt by her Majesty's 
government for the escape of the Alabama and other ves- 
sels from British ports, and for the depredations committed 
by those vessels. Both governments agreed that a neu- 
tral is bound, first, to use due diligence to prevent the fitting 

277 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

out, arming, or equipping within its jurisdiction of any 
vessel which it has reasonable ground to believe is to be 
used for carrying on war with a power with which it is 
at peace; and also to use like diligence to prevent the de- 
parture from its jurisdiction of any vessel intended for use 
in carrying on war as above, such vessel having been 
specially adapted in whole or in part within such jurisdic- 
tion to warlike use. 

Secondly, not to permit or suffer either belligerent to 
make use of its ports or waters as a base of naval opera- 
tions against the other, or for the purpose of the renewal 
or augmentation of military supplies or arms, or the re- 
cruitment of men. 

Thirdly, to exercise due diligence in its own ports and 
waters, and as to all persons within its jurisdiction, to 
prevent any violation of the foregoing obligations and 
duties. 

Arbitration was agreed to, and the Geneva Tribunal 
found England responsible for the acts of the Alabama as 
well as for the deeds of two other cruisers, awarding a sum 
to be paid by her to the United States of between three and 
four millions — a cheap price to pay if, as may be hoped, 
the example of the arbitration can be perpetuated so that 
in all questions not actually affecting the honor of either 
country differences may be settled by like means. 

The great national anxiety caused by the Prince of 
Wales's illness, from an attack of typhoid fever, in 1871, 
was changed to universal rejoicing when the Queen and 
her family went to St. Paul's to give thanks for the Prince's 
recovery in February, 1872. 

There was a splendid triumphal arch at Ludgate Circus, 
and a grand roar of acclamation followed the procession 
until the great cathedral was reached. The steps were 
enclosed with a pavilion, and there was a covered way laid 
with crimson cloth, the entrance being surmounted by the 
inscription, " I was glad when they said unto me. We will 
go into the house of the Lord." The porch was fitted with 
rooms of blue, white, and red, and crimson damask in their 

278 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

interior. Thirteen thousand persons found room in the 
galleries erected in the aisles and transepts. 

Under the dome were the Queen and her family, the 
members of the House of Lords and the House of Com- 
mons, the foreign representatives, the judges, lords lieu- 
tenant, and sheriffs, and delegates from the universities. 
In the choir were the clergy, and the screen between the 
choir and the dome was taken away so that the music might 
be better heard. The royal family were in a specially 
designed long pew, raised two or three steps above the 
low platform arranged across the end of the nave, fronting 
the choir, and somewhat advanced into the central space 
under the dome. On the right were the foreign princes 
and Indian princes. 

The Queen, after the seven miles' progress through the 
acclaiming multitudes was over, wrote: "The Queen is 
anxious, as on a previous occasion, to express publicly her 
own personal deep sense of the reception the Queen and her 
dear children met with on Tuesday [February 27th] from 
millions of her subjects on her way to and from St. Paul's. 
Words are too weak for the Queen to say how very deeply 
touched and gratified she has been by the irmnense en- 
thusiasm and affection exhibited towards her dear son and 
herself from the highest down to the lowest in the long 
progress through the capital, and she earnestly wishes to 
convey her warmest and most heartfelt thanks to the whole 
nation for this demonstration of loyalty. The Queen, 
as well as her son and dear daughter-in-law, felt that the 
whole nation joined with them in thanking God for pre- 
serving the Prince of Wales's life. The remembrance of 
this day, and the remarkable order maintained through- 
out, will ever be affectionately remembered by the Queen 
and her family." 

The Prince was able to undertake attendance on several 
public occasions early in the year, and the Duke of Edin- 
burgh opened an exhibition in Dublin. 

The Shah, Nusser-Ood-Deen, who was by descent a 
Turk of the tribe of the Kujurs, whose chief seized the 

279 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

crown towards the end of the eighteenth century, visited 
this country in 1873. He came to England with the repu- 
tation of being a reformer, abandoning much of the cruel- 
ty formerly practised in the administration of the laws. 
He wore a black cap with a magnificent aigrette of dia- 
monds in front, a befrogged black coat, and valuable rings. 
Anxious to see Europe, he visited Berlin and Paris as 
well as London. When he saluted a brother sovereign he 
crossed his hands on his breast, while all his courtiers put 
their hands to their hearts whenever he spoke to them. 

There was a review arranged for him in the Home Park 
at Windsor, which was a great success in spite of one of 
his nobles falHng from his horse and bedewing the grass 
with a shower of diamonds. He expressed the most cordial 
good-will towards Great Britain, and this was no mere trick 
of speech, for he set an example in his country in this re- 
spect which his successors have sought to follow. 

He was mounted at the review on a chestnut Arab whose 
tail was dyed pink, and it was noticed that one of his fol- 
lowers had a horse with a magenta-colored tail. He was 
entertained by the City of London at a great ball at the 
Guildhall under the mayoralty of Sir Sydney Waterlow. 
He much admired English beauty, although he observed 
that our young ladies do not care to have their eyebrows 
meeting over their nose, which in his country is consid- 
ered a very especial advantage. 

The works of the great Persian poet, Omar Khayyam, 
in the version of Mr. Fitzgerald, had not then appeared to 
astonish the English reading public, and people were hard- 
ly inclined to give the Shah of Persia the credit he has of 
being at the head of a people whose literature is most re- 
markable, whose language centuries ago became, and still 
remains, the polite language of society in India, and who 
possess poets whose thoughts are as remarkable as the 
tongue in which they are expressed is full, musical, and 
powerful. 

The Queen was glad to be able to show her interest in 
the creation and keeping of open spaces in great cities for 

280 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

the recreation of the people by visiting the Victoria Park, 
in the East End of London. The two hundred and ninety 
acres of which the park boasts was a place to which vast 
numbers flocked on April 3, 1873. At the Hackney Town 
Hall her carriage stopped that the building might be seen, 
and thousands of working-people joined in the singing of 
the national anthem. It was remembered that no English 
sovereign had been there since the time of Charles II. 

Soon afterwards came the wedding of the Duke of Edin- 
burgh. The Queen wrote to Lady Augusta Stanley in 
August, 1873 : " I shall see you to-morrow, and I wish to 
prepare you for what not only I, but Alfred and others, in- 
cluding the Dean of Windsor and Lord Granville, are very 
anxious for — it is that I am very desirous that your Dean 
should perform the English ceremony at St. Petersburg, 
and that you should attend as one of my ladies. You 
travel so much, and dread cold so little, that, as in 
January the Russian climate is said to be healthy, I 
hope you will be able to undertake a mission which will 
require great discretion, and which will be a comfort to me. 
But you must fully consider whether you can manage it, 
and that is why I have thought it best to write before I 
see you both." 

Dean Stanley agreed to go, and started on January 9, 
1874. The Queen wrote: "I address this letter to St. 
Petersburg with two parcels which require explanation, 
and which I trust to your special care. The one contains 
two sprigs of myrtle, which I ask you to put at once into 
a little warm water, and to keep till the afternoon of the 
22d, to be placed in the middle of a bouquet of white flowers 
which I shall ask you to order and give from me to Marie 
before the English wedding, with this explanation — name- 
ly, that this myrtle comes from a large, healthy plant here, 
which has grown from a little bit of myrtle, much smaller 
than these sprigs, which was in the Princess Royal's nose- 
gay, and which all the brides [the Queen's daughters] have 
had a piece of in succession. 

"The second box contains two prayer-books. The one 

281 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

in white, with an illumination of some verses which I had 
printed on purpose, is for the Grand Duchess, and the 
other, a plain one, is for Alfred, both to be given to them 
on their wedding-day, and for the English wedding. My 
dear mother gave my beloved husband and me prayer- 
books, which I now have and often use, especially the dear 
Prince's." 

At St. Petersburg they were received in great state at the 
Winter Palace. The rooms were magnificent, looking out 
on the Neva; the temperature warm. 

What Stanley saw is published in his Life and Letters, 
from which we condense the following account : 

" Next day I was ushered into the Emperor's room. He 
was quite alone, standing in full uniform by a desk; ex- 
ceedingly gracious. I said I hoped that the benediction of 
both Churches might descend on an event so happy for 
both countries ; the only sufferers are the parents. His eyes 
filled with tears, and he said, ' Yes, it's true ; she has been 
the joy of our lives, but it must be.' It was impossible not 
to be moved by his emotion. 

" Augusta had meanwhile been sent for by the Empress, 
and just as I was passing through the galleries 1 was also 
suimnoned to see her. She was with the Grand Duchess 
and Prince Alfred. We had much conversation on the 
marriage ceremony. We had to make many calls after- 
wards. At the Czarevitch's there was a book for the in- 
scription of names, and in this there was an entry that 
puzzled me — ^'Prince and Princess Waleslcy.' At last I 
saw that this must be Russian for 'of Wales.' 

" There was a service in the English Church. I preached 
on Christ's presence at the marriage at Cana, which was 
not only the gospel of the day in the new style, but the 
second lesson for the Epiphany, old style. The Prince of 
Wales has written a very kind note begging that it may 
be printed. 

" On Monday we went to the museum in the ' Hermitage.' 
Imagine what it is. An immense collection of pictures, 
statues, and antiquities, almost like the Vatican, under 

282 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

the same roof as the palace. What is truly astonishing are 
the Grecian sculptures — the habits of the Scythians, 400 
B.C. — in which there is a most beautiful representation of 
peasants, in the same costumes and with the same customs 
as you see in Russia now. 

"Then came a message for me to read my sermon to 
the Empress. The interview was deeply affecting. There 
was no one but herself and the Grand Duchess. I begged 
her to interrupt me if there was anything she did not un- 
derstand; this led to a constant series of remarks and 
questions. I went on, and when I came to the part relat- 
ing to the feeling of the parents it was a hard struggle to 
get through. After it was over they both discussed, in the 
most easy and natural manner, the details of the marriage 
ceremony, and parted with the most gracious sayings, and 
expression of a desire to have it printed and translated. 

" At six we dined with the Emperor. Every one in uni- 
form except Lord Suffield, Francis KnoUys, and myself; 
and eighty persons present. Dinner was extremely short, 
and the whole party broke up at 9 P.M. 

" Next day I paid visits to the three metropolitans — St. 
Petersburg, Moscow, and Kief. The first visit to Isidore, 
of St. Petersburg. Nothing could be more cordial. He 
kissed me three times on each side of the face, as did all 
the others. I asked him about the Bulgarians, and various 
points connected with the marriage. Innocent, of Moscow, 
was questioned about missions. Ascanius, of Kief, talked 
history, and I asked him what opinion was held in Russia 
on the guilt or innocence of Mary Stuart. It really was 
touching to see how totally without jealousy, or any sort 
of feeling except love for the Emperor's family, they all 
seemed to be. 

" It is impossible to exaggerate the comfort of the houses 
in winter. Nowhere have I felt so absolutely safe from the 
slightest sensation of disagreeable cold. 

" The preparations for the marriage were very little dis- 
cussed. I had a long talk with the Duke of Edinburgh 
over all the details, and found him very agreeable. The 

283 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

music is to be by the Russian choir. There are at the 
Winter Palace one thousand six hundred rooms and four 
thousand inhabitants. 

"January 23d. — Now we are all arrayed — I in my red 
robes for the Russian service, to be exchanged for white 
for the English; Augusta in lilac and resplendent with 
diamonds; Lady Ermna in pink. At twelve we start; I 
with my two chaplains, the two English clergjmien. . . . 
The marriage is over. Our places were in the Imperial 
Chapel, close to the chancel rails. It was much more like 
a family gathering than anything in Western churches. 
The bride and bridegroom are closed round by four grooms- 
men (for there are no bridesmaids), as if protecting them, 
and the crowns are held over their heads so long as to give 
the impression of a more than fugitive interest. 

"The walking round and round the altar, with these 
four youths pacing with them, had quite the effect of — what 
originally it must have been — a wedding dance. The sing- 
ing was magnificent. The Lord's Prayer again struck me 
as the most beautiful vocal music I had ever heard. I got 
away through the crowd with difficulty, changed my red 
robe for my white one, and then took my place on the high 
platform which had been made in front of the altar that 
stood against the screen. All the curtains were drawn 
down and the candles lighted, so that the place was trans- 
formed. As I looked down upon the vast array of officers, 
etc., it was a splendid sight. The Russian choir was on 
my right, the English residents on my left, the English 
clergy on each side, and the five Russian clergy came in 
with changed gamients as soon as their service was over. 

"Then came up the hall the bride and bridegroom and 
stood before me, the Emperor and Empress on their right. 
The music of the choir broke out, and Psalm xxi. was sung 
as they advanced. 

"It was a thrilling moment when, for the first and last 
time in my life, I addressed each by their Christian name 
— Alfred and Marie. The first part of the service I read 
from the Coronation prayer-book, the second from one out 

284 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

of which were married George IV., the Princess Charlotte, 
William IV., the Duke of Kent, and the Prince of Wales. 
Then came the final benediction and the chanting of 
Psalm xcii. I, 2, 3. 

" When this was over I bowed to the Emperor and Em- 
press, and they returned it ; and I then turned round to the 
metropolitans and kissed their hands. The Grand Duke 
Constantine was exceedingly kind, and said, ' There is so 
much that we have in common. ' 

" At 4.30 followed the banquet. There were eight hun- 
dred guests. Opposite me were the Emperor and a whole 
line of princes and princesses — the four heirs of England, 
Russia, Denmark, and Germany. The last is like a sun- 
beam wherever he goes. These were all waited on by the 
high dignitaries of the Court, who stood behind and talked 
to them. 

" Then at 9.30 a ball, or rather an immense evening 
party, multitudes and multitudes spreading through hall 
and galleries, in one of which the princes danced, or rather 
walked, the polonaise, the Emperor once walking round 
with Augusta. 

" January 25th. — Did I describe the signing of the regis- 
ter in the Malachite Drawing-room ? It was my work to sign 
first. The Grand Duke Vladimir held the sheet as I wrote, 
and then threw sand over it as it was finished. Then 
came the bride's and bridegroom's and twenty-five other 
signatures, beginning with the Emperor's. The floor of 
the hall was almost covered with the trains of the princesses. 
It was impossible to tread here or there without putting 
one's foot on one or other of them as on a separate carpet. 
The Crown Princess came up with her most gracious smile, 
and said to one of the grand dukes near her, ' You could 
not have a better benediction on the marriage.' " 

Stanley describes also all that went on in Moscow, and 
it should be remembered that whereas one of the Queen's 
grandchildren became Empress of Russia in after years, 
her sister, another grandchild, became the Grand Duchess 
Serge, and lived at Moscow, her husband being the Govern- 

285 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

or-General. Both are daughters of Princess AHce, Grand 
Duchess of Hesse. 

"At Moscow/' said the Dean, "there was an immense 
crowd and immense confusion. In the morning we drove, 
by order, to the Kremlin. A large assemblage of the Court 
dignitaries. At last a door opened and in walked the 
Emperor and the Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales 
with the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince with the Czar- 
evna, the bride and bridegroom, etc. They marched straight 
on, the whole of their promiscuous Court assemblage follow- 
ing, through the great halls of St. Andrew, St. George, and 
St. Alexander, down through the ancient Hall of the Pa- 
triarchs ; then through the long corridor lined with peasants, 
in their peasant dresses, holding in their hands their wed- 
ding-gifts of cakes and other things ; and then through a 
very high covered space, and we were in the old Cathedral 
Church. There was instantly sung a Te Deum, and then 
all the members of the Imperial family went round and 
kissed the sacred pictures. The church was entirely filled, 
strange to say, not only with grandees, but with the very 
humble middle-class and peasants. 

"At 10.30 there was a ball of the nobles — if ball that can 
be called which had hardly the semblance of a dance. We 
found ourselves on a spacious platform protruding into an 
immense hall, crowded as thick as it could be packed with 
human heads — like the Guildhall on a nomination day — a 
dense assembly of more than four thousand people. When 
the Imperial party entered, the band struck up, the foun- 
tain in the far distance began to play in the midst of a sil- 
ver illumination, and a long line of sudden light ran round 
the two sides of the cornices joining at each end of the hall. 

"On Saturday I drove to the Donskoi Monastery. 
A bright, cold day. A sledge with three horses tore over 
the deep snow, and the domes and towers of Moscow flashed 
in the glorious sunlight." 

Stanley had written formerly: "How strange is the 
sensation, now familiar by repetition, yet not the less 
thrilling for that, to rush forward to a sight long imagined, 

286 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

and beheld for the first time! How deHghtful, I must 
confess, to feel that even after Athens, Rome, Thebes, and 
Jerusalem there is a flood of enthusiasm still to be let forth 
at one more glorious view! In one instant it breaks upon 
you. Looking down from the terraces of the Kremlin 
is the whole vast expanse of the sacred city. No panorama 
has given me the impression of its vast extent. It is like 
a boundless plain of green — the green roofs diversified 
with innumerable islands of forest and garden, out of which 
spring up like weeds and flowers the blue, red, green, yellow, 
silver, golden domes of hundreds of churches and convent 
towers. The river flows beneath, beyond on the horizon 
is a long line of hills crowned with firs, behind is the Krem- 
lin — such a collection of historical and architectural marble 
as I have not seen in one place out of the great Piazza of 
St. Mark's. 

" The Kremlin is inexhaustible. It is the Tower, West- 
minster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle, 
Lambeth, all crammed together within the space of a quar- 
ter of an hour's circuit. It is surrounded by a vast wall, 
exactly like that of the Alhambra, only white instead of 
red, even to the flame-shaped parapets. The wall itself is 
girdled by gateway towers, mostly of crusted green. Each 
of the gateway towers contains a gate with some peculiar 
name, one being the Holy Gate, through which every 
human being passes hat in hand, even the Emperor him- 
self doing the same. 

"Immediately outside the Holy Gateway stands the 
Church of St. Basil, built by the mysterious, monstrous, 
marvellous Czar, Ivan the Terrible, the son of Basil. 
Pagoda on pagoda, pinnacle on pinnacle, chapel within 
chapel, cupola clustering on cupola, dome upon dome — it is 
senseless, useless, pointless, but most characteristic of the 
man, the place, and the time. Hundreds of masons and ar- 
tists were kidnapped in Liibeck to build it. The architect 
had his eyes put out that he might never build another. 

" You enter the Kremlin, and then come, jostled together 
in the wildest confusion, four palaces, two monasteries, four 

287 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

cathedrals, seven churches, and I know not what besides. 
Three Imperial palaces are all attached together. They 
represent the three elements of the Empire — the old barbaric 
grotesqueness, the modern magnificence of the Emperor's 
State, and the unadorned simplicity of his private life. 
The last speaks for itself ; the second is represented in the 
three great halls of St. George, St. Vladimir, and St. An- 
drew, each opening into the other, till at the end of St. An- 
drew's Hall you come upon the throne of the Czar, blazing 
with the emblems of all the Russian provinces, as each 
hall blazes with the emblems of the three superior orders. 
Nothing in any other palace, ancient or modern. Eastern 
or Western, can be named with this suite of gorgeous 
grandeur." 

Stanley asked one of the clergy what lesson he thought 
the Western Churches could learn from the Russian, and 
summarized his answer thus : " What I chiefly expect and 
hope for is the pacifying effect which will be produced on 
the controversies of the West when they come to a knowl- 
edge of a Church which has never entered into these con- 
troversies ; which has stood firm on the basis of the early 
centuries before they rose ; which has a deeply rooted idea 
of the fixed and stable character of the ancient traditions, 
without the slightest tendency to proselytize." 

The English Dean appreciated the union of a religious 
fervor in the Russian Church, unparalleled in Europe, 
with so complete a tolerance of the faith of others, and so 
ready a recognition of our point of view ; also the advantage 
to the Western Christian in contemplating a Church which 
stands to us on ground so untrodden, and alternately cuts 
across the narrow prejudices both of Protestants and Roman 
Catholics. He asked himself, would its fervor and zeal 
ever turn with full force into a moral channel? "The 
religious principle among them is so strong and so simple, 
and yet, for the most part, so little directed against the 
moral evils of the country." 

The bride at whose marriage Dean Stanley had assisted 
in Russia came to Windsor in March, 1874. " The Queen 

288 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

invited us to come here on Friday evening," he wrote, "so 
as to be in time for the reception of the members of the family 
that were in England, who came either that day or the next. 
Besides these and the household there were no other guests. 
The day itself was one such as we rarely see in England at 
this season, such as is described by one of our English 
poets: 

" ' Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright. 
The bridal of the earth and sky.' 

Not only splendid in itself, but unlike our variable climate 
— so fixedly, solidly fine that rain and mist were as im- 
possible as during the brilliant winters in Russia. The 
coming in of March was that of a lamb, as gentle, as pure, 
as spotless as ever followed St. Agnes. 

"We saw the Queen and all the family, except Prince 
Arthur, who had gone to meet arrivals at Gravesend. 
Drove out through the park, and down a long avenue of 
gardens, amid a crowd of boys from the great school of 
Eton. We waited till we saw the head of the returning 
procession, and then went down to the entrance of the 
castle with the other members of the household to receive 
the Queen and the bridal pair. 

"The Queen and her daughter-in-law stepped out first, 
and as soon as they had passed inside the doors she kissed 
her most warmly. My dear wife and I waited until the 
carriage arrived containing our old St. Petersburg friends, 
and you may imagine what a cordial greeting passed be- 
tween us. We then all followed through the corridor, which 
is a kind of artery to the whole palace, and then the Queen 
introduced all the members of the household to the Grand 
Duchess, who looks full of radiance in the midst of her 
new home. There was no flaw or chill of any kind. 
The Queen was delighted, the bride and bridegroom quite 
at their ease, and so ended the viravTr}, if that is not too 
sacred a word to use of what is, however, like all domestic 
unions, a truly sacred thing." 

In the summer the Emperor of Russia paid a visit to Eng- 
T 289 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

land. At the luncheon given to the Emperor at Marl- 
borough House both Lord Beaconsfield and Mr. Gladstone 
were present. Stanley was also there, standing, after 
luncheon, with Mr. Gladstone. Disraeli, as he passed them, 
turned to Gladstone and said — alluding to a declaration 
Mr. Gladstone had made after his defeat that he would 
retire from public life — "with a mixture of comedy and 
tragedy expressed on his countenance, 'You must come 
back to us; indeed, we cannot possibly do without you.' 
Mr. Gladstone, with more than usual severity, answered, 
' There are things possible, and there are things impossible. 
What you ask me to do is one of the things which are im- 
possible.' Upon that Disraeh turned to me, as the repre- 
sentative of the public present, and said, 'You see what 
it is — the wrath, the inexorable wrath, of Achilles.'" 

The visit of the Emperor to England passed off very 
pleasantly. He attended the great assemblage at the 
Foreign Office, and appeared much in public. But such 
visits are always a source of anxiety to the police, who 
know how many crazy persons are anxious to win fame 
by murder. 

There was that peculiar look in the Emperor's eyes — 
which was noticed also by the Queen in the case of his 
father — a peculiarity arising from the occasional Hfting 
of the eyehds, so as to show a little white for a moment 
above the eyeball. Yet few thought that his terrible and 
tragic end in the streets of his own capital was so near at 
hand. In the enfranchisement of the serfs, and in many 
another ameliorative measure, he had bravely acted for 
the good of his people, despite the prejudices and influences 
of many of the most powerful in the official classes of his 
nation. 

Another pleasant international incident took place at 
the end of the year, when thanks were given to the Queen 
from the French nation for the assistance rendered by 
England to the sick and wounded during the war which 
ended three years before. These were sent by the councils- 
general of the municipalities, and were signed by over 

290 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

twelve million people. Lord Derby, as Foreign Minister, 
introduced the deputation to the Queen in the audience 
chamber at Windsor, and afterwards the Queen had a 
more private interview with the Comte Serrurier and his 
companions, and said she accepted the volumes as beau- 
tiful works of art, but " their chief value in my eyes is 
that they form a permanent memorial of the gratitude of 
the French people for services rendered to them by Eng- 
lishmen acting under the simple impulse of hiunanity." 

The French and English acted together in this year 
in Japan in withdrawing their small force of occupa- 
tion, a noteworthy event, for it heralded the marvellous 
change which two short decades have brought about in 
the Far East. It was only a short time before that the 
English Embassy had been attacked at night. Mr. Lau- 
rence Oliphant, the author of Piccadilly, and other works 
which are still worth reading, was among the diplomatists 
nearly murdered, their lives being preserved only through 
the accident of the passage in which they ran from their 
bedrooms having so low a roof that the attacking swords- 
men's blades were caught as they hacked at the unarmed 
Europeans. 

On the departure of the corps of occupation photographs 
were given to the officers — a new departure, because the 
sale of royal likenesses was altogether prohibited. Japan 
became determined to know what it was that gave the 
Europeans such superiority in war, and set herself earnestly 
to the task by sending her young people to the various 
capitals of Europe, and persuading foreigners to allow 
Japanese to enter their military and naval services. The 
result was that the old organization of society in Japan 
fell like a pack of cards. The invisible Tycoon, a sort of 
fetish emperor, who remained in a kind of consecrated 
retirement, had his office abolished ; and the great tributary 
princes, who were often as powerful as the sovereign, 
had their supremacy overthrown. 

The East, from which so many potent influences came 
in the earlier history of mankind, seems likely again to 

291 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

impress upon coming centuries its mark, for vast popula- 
tions of highly civilized conmiunities must, when they 
awake from the sleep engendered by exclusion and routine, 
and adopt the ways of the West, rise both in naval and in 
military power. We have always been in touch with our 
Aryan cousins in the East. We have been thankful to 
many of their princes for loyalty and devotion in co-operat- 
ing with the government of India, and it was to mark the 
sense of the importance they hold in the comity of our 
Imperial State that the Prince of Wales undertook, in 1875, 
a memorable visit to India. 

At Bombay there was a banquet to two thousand sailors 
of the fleet. There was a great concourse from the whole 
of the Presidency, Hindoos with turbans of red or white, 
Mohammedans in green, Parsees with black robes and 
high hats diminishing towards the top from a bump in 
front. There were magnificent illuminations, every 
window being lit and the public buildings traced out in 
red, blue, and green. The Guicowar had a corps of men 
dressed in Highland costume, and there were twelve thou- 
sand school-children arranged in one place. A visit was 
paid to the wonderful caves of the Temple of Elephanta, 
situated on the Isle of Ghara Puri, a vast and ancient 
Brahmin temple with caves over one hundred and thirty 
feet long, probably entirely made by the hand of man. 

Then to the capital of the Mahrattah country, Poonah, 
where a review was held. Then to Baroda, where the 
Guicowar and his Prime Minister, Sir Madhava Rhao, 
arranged a most picturesque and beautiful reception. 
The young Guicowar was only twelve years of age, but he 
had organized a great show. Elephants butted each other ; 
two rhinoceri were pitted one against the other. Twenty- 
four State elephants trumpeted a welcome as the Prince's 
party took their seats. The elephants were painted in 
various colors ; there were no two alike, but all bore clothing 
of marvellous hues. The effect was most extraordinary. 
The elephant bout is described as having taken place be- 
tween two animals bare except for a small padding on their 

292 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

back, and they had been made combative by various drugs 
and foods. One was a very large creature, the other smaller 
but more energetic. The larger one seemed inclined to 
charge the attendants and to run his head against the wall 
rather than against his opponent. But they finally agreed 
to differ, and butted each other, forehead to forehead, and 
tusk to tusk, their trunks often above their heads. They 
could not do each other serious injury, because their tusks 
had been cut close to prevent any wounds, and the Prince 
had especially asked that the animals should not be allowed 
to do each other any hurt, as he only wished to see how 
they fought and not the fight itself. The bigger elephant 
soon got tired, and turned his back to his antagonist, but 
the little one thought this an insult to his own importance, 
and charged again and again the hindquarters of his 
opponent, at last driving him against the wall. But when 
they began to get angry, any further contest was stopped. 
It was nothing but a sham fight. 

A day's sport with antelope chased by the tame Indian 
cheetah was also exhibited. Visiting the little Portuguese 
settlement of Goa, on his way to Ceylon, Colombo was 
reached soon afterwards. An address was presented, 
the Cingalese wearing their curious costumes — a short 
jacket, great petticoat, low shoes, and their hair allowed 
to grow long and done up in a kind of chignon bound by a 
long crescent-shaped comb. It was noted that the people 
were even more demonstrative in their cheering than at 
Bombay. 

From Colombo the Prince went to Trichinopoly, a strik- 
ing place, where a great rock rises in the centre of the plain 
six hundred feet above the river, the scene of a remarkable 
British success in 1753. Madras, with its long lines of 
rolling surf, was next visited, and the Prince was enter- 
tained at a great race meeting, and had the opportunity 
of having presented to him the leading natives. The 
illumination of the surf gave a unique spectacle. 

Calcutta, then under the viceroyalty of Lord Northbrook, 
welcomed him next. The Maharajahs of Puttiala, Jodh- 

293 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

pore, Jeypore, and Cashmere, and the Begum of Bhopal 
and others, came to pay their respects, in each case being 
received with guards of honor and salute. "There is," 
said the Times correspondent, "in each case a salute of 
guns according to the visitor's rank. Then a guard of 
honor, with a band, present arms on his arrival. Next he 
is met at a distance of five hundred yards by an of&cer, 
and also by two of the Prince's aides-de-camp. At the foot 
of the stairs another of&cer receives and takes him to the 
audience chamber. He is followed by his sirdars, who 
take their place in an outer room until summoned by their 
chief to be presented. 

"At the entrance of the audience chamber the Prince 
of Wales met each guest, took his hand, and led him to the 
sofa where they held their conversation, the political oflBcers 
standing by their side. After the usual rose-water and 
betel-nuts have been given by the Prince, and the sirdars 
summoned and presented, the audience is over, and the 
chief and his suite are conducted back as they arrived. 
The lady sovereign of Bhopal was so thickly veiled she 
could not be seen, nor did she uncover her face throughout 
the audience. All the chiefs appeared in magnificent 
State, and were very desirous of making beautiful presents. 
The Maharajahs of Sindhia and of Cashmere desired to 
give gifts to the value of £50,000 ; but these kindly offers, 
on account of a rule established long since, could not be 
accepted." 

Nothing could exceed the splendid welcome given by 
India's princes on India's soil. The Prince returned all 
their visits. There was a Levee at Government House 
and a State dinner in the magnificent rooms and vast build- 
ing, whose flight of steps and columned portico have seen 
so many of those pass who have made of the many nations 
of India one great empire devoted to the British crown. 

The investiture of the Star of India was held in an en- 
campment on the Maidan, a plain near Government House. 
Inside were rows of seats for the knights, and enclosures 
for the spectators. At one end, on a dais of blue and silver, 

294 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

there were two chairs for the Prince and the Viceroy. 
Knight commanders entered the tent in full costume, and 
attended by pages and banner-bearers. The followers of 
many of the great princes and chiefs were described as 
" animated nuggets and ambulatory mines of jewels." 

The Prince's procession entered the tent in two lines. 
The Prince wore a field -marshal's uniform with white 
helmet and plume, his train being carried by two naval 
cadets in cavalier hats and cloaks, tunic, and trunk hose 
of blue satin. When the tent was all full of glittering jew- 
els and costumes, under the waving banners the roll of the 
order was read, and every knight answered to his name. 

The Rajah of Jheend was among those who were created 
Knight Grand Commander. Seventeen guns were fired 
for each Maharajah. When he had received the ribbon, 
the badge, and the star, his banner was unfurled, a flourish 
of trumpets was given, and the knight's titles proclaimed. 
This closed a long ceremony, and the processions returned 
as they came. 

Charles Mathews appeared at the theatre in the evening, 
and£ioo for a box was given. The General Hospital was 
inspected, and much hope at that time was aroused by Dr. 
Fayrer's attempts to counteract the effect of snake bite. 

Benares, the sacred city of the Hindoos, was next seen. 
The Rajah of Vizianagram was visited after a reception at a 
military camp, and, embarking on the Ganges in a decorat- 
ed boat, the Prince was towed up the river to Ramanagar, 
where the Maharajah of Benares waited for him at the river 
bank, and had him conveyed up the hill to his castle in a 
gold and silver chair. There was a procession of elephants, 
camels, mace - bearers, and armed followers, and in his 
castle the Maharajah presented the Prince with beautiful 
brocaded shawls, and, mounting to the roof, begged him to 
look down on the illuminated city, which was a wonderful 
sight, the houses rising in row after row above the river, 
crowded with boats, each showing a light. Fireworks 
ascended everjrwhere, and were reflected on the flowing 
waters. 

295 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Then onward to the fateful Lucknow, the capital of the 
ancient kingdom of Oude, forfeited on account of dis- 
loyalty in the mutiny. From various points of view the 
scene made so memorable in that decisive contest was 
viewed by the party from England. The talookdars, or 
great land-owners, gathered to present an address and a 
crown set with jewels. On one day there was a boar 
hunt, at which the Prince killed one ; while Lord Carring- 
ton, owing to his horse being charged by a boar, fell and 
broke his collar-bone. 

At Delhi, Lord Napier, of Magdala, and fifteen thousand 
troops, and a Levee at noon, marked the Prince's arrival. 
The next days were devoted to military and archaeological 
expeditions, for nowhere are there more remarkable monu- 
ments of the extinct dynasties than at Delhi, the capital 
of the Great Mogul. 

A long night journey took the Prince to that famous 
centre of loyalty and warlike prowess, and remarkable 
races ruled by splendid chiefs, called the Punjaub. The 
chiefs were encamped about the city, and, before entering 
it, the Prince drove through their camps, which extended 
for some miles. "Never was anything more beautiful. 
The very spirit of chivalry hovered over the martial faces 
and noble forms of the grand stately chiefs making obei- 
sance." 

The Prince returned all the native princes' visits on the 
following day, and then went on to Cashmere, a wonderful 
country, whose famous valley has a beautiful river wind- 
ing in loops, which is supposed to have originated the pear- 
shape or loop pattern so conspicuous in the Cashmere 
shawls. The Maharajah met the Prince seven miles from 
his capital, Jimimoo, which is built upon a low-lying spur 
of the Himalayas overlooking the river, which had a great 
flotilla of boats upon it, while many elephants were paraded 
upon the bank. Here again, in a splendid building, the 
Prince received our loyal friends. The lovely country was 
seen, hunting was enjoyed, and the sovereign of this beau- 
tiful land insisted on presenting the Prince with a mag- 

296 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

nificent jewelled sword. Then eastward again to Agra, 
where the Golden Temple was illuminated, and Puttiala 
was visited, a grand reception being accorded by its gal- 
lant and loyal chief. 

It was during the year that saw the Prince's progress 
through the Indian Empire that Mr. Disraeli, who was 
to become Lord Beaconsfield in the following year, made 
on behalf of the British government the great purchase 
of the shares of the Suez Canal, which gave us a voice in 
the administration of that wonderful work, which was the 
realization of the dream of the Pharaohs and the triumph 
of French engineering — for our own men of that branch of 
science can lay no claim to the credit of an enterprise they 
at one time pronounced impossible. 

When one thinks of the immense saving of time effected 
by the passage to India by the Suez route, as compared 
with the long voyage round the Cape, we must feel grate- 
ful for the indefatigable labors of M. de Lesseps. India 
has been brought much nearer to us, and yet our influence 
there was acquired in times when the voyage took sailing 
vessels about three months — months often enjoyed as a 
period of rest and refreshment by hard-working men in 
military or civilian service. 

Lord Macaulay, among others, used to say that no 
time was more pleasant to him than that spent in the spa- 
cious cabins of the old East India clippers in the years 
when he had to go backward and forward between Lon- 
don and Calcutta, and only at sea found time to read the 
books in which he delighted — and he was not contented 
with reading a book once. I have three volumes of Paoli 
Sarpi, an Italian historian, which belonged to him, the 
pages of which are annotated over and over again by the 
great historian, all the notes having beeen written in his 
cabin at sea. 

Lord Lytton succeeded Lord Northbrook as Viceroy of 
India, and it was from the mouth of Lord Lytton that the 
assumption of the Queen's title as Empress of India was 
announced at Delhi in a magnificent durbar. The title 

297 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

was an addition to that of Queen, and was a natiiral con- 
sequence of the direct government of India being vested in 
the British sovereign in lieu of the old Company. For 
where there are, as in the East, many nations under many 
kings, the title of Empress is a proper one to use as defining 
the over-lordship, which has, by the experience of all ages, 
found its best designation in the word " emperor," meaning 
the head of an empire. 

A long and terrible chapter of frontier wars in the Afghan 
country began with the murder at Cabul of Cavagnari, 
the British envoy. The disasters brought prominently 
to the front the genius of Lord Roberts, the brilliancy of 
whose deeds shine through the modest narrative of his 
success as given by himself. His march from Cabul to 
Candahar is a household word in the military annals of 
India, fertile as they are in marvellous achievements, from 
the days of Assaye to those of Dargai. 

The affairs of another continent in which he was des- 
tined afterwards to act a great part awakened anxiety in 
the years when Lord Carnarvon had proposed a confedera- 
tion of the South African colonies. Sir Bartle Frere had 
urged him to this, and he had seen that it was necessary 
to assert our position if we were to keep it in South Africa, 
both in the eyes of the natives and the settlers of Dutch de- 
scent. Already the ambition to be free of any British con- 
nection had possessed the hearts of the Boers, who made 
trek after trek in order to get away from a rule which gave 
equal rights to all, and objected to any form of oppression 
whether against settlers or natives. The country beyond 
the Vaal was not known to be possessed of great mineral 
wealth, but it was annexed by proclamation in 1877, so 
that the solidarity in civilization might pave the way for a 
confederation supported by British financial credit. The 
Boers, who had only a few shillings in their treasury, were 
at one time not averse to such an arrangement. 

While the British Empire was thus forging ahead, de- 
fining or enlarging its frontiers, many of its citizens looked 
with favor, and some with apprehension, at the menace of 

298 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

the break-up of the Turkish Empire, where the massacres 
of the Christians in Bulgaria, owing to attempts at insur- 
rection which they had made, gave Russia an opportunity 
of interference. 

A new Sultan in 1876 succeeded Abdul Azziz, who was 
supposed to have bled himself to death, and with a new 
possessor of the Ottoman throne new hopes arose for re- 
form and for the postponement of that ruin which Turkish 
barbarity and maladministration threatened to turn to the 
profit of the conquering Northern Power. Turkey was to 
be given another chance. There was a conference at 
Constantinople at which the Sultan accepted the reforms 
urged upon him as necessary by his Western friends, only 
to be shortly afterwards again evaded. Russia declared 
war on April 24, 1877, against the Porte. The British 
fleet was ordered to Constantinople in February, 1878. In 
their passage through the Dardanelles it seemed very 
doubtful whether the Turks would not open fire from the 
forts guarding the entrance ; but we were determined, if 
Constantinople was to fall, to have a hand in the subse- 
quent arrangements. The Duke of Edinburgh was one of 
the British officers whose duty it was to force the Straits, 
and to answer the Turkish guns should they open fire. 

The Russians were called upon to engage in fearful 
fighting from the time they crossed the Danube until after 
the defiles of the Balkans had been passed. They had with 
them the troops of the new State of Roumania, under the 
guidance of their able sovereign. Prince Charles of Hohen- 
zoUern; and the Turks, under Osman Pasha, intrenched 
at Plevna, had to endure the assaults of the descendants of 
the old Roman colonists, as well as of the Russians. 

Most gallantly was column after column thrown against 
the mud walls and ditches by which Osman had made for 
himself and his army an almost impregnable fortress. 
The artillery fire of the Russians could hardly seriously 
affect the men hidden in the deep ditches dug by the Turks, 
who, laying their rifles upon the tops of the parapets, had 
them so arranged as to sweep any place whence an assault 

299 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

could be delivered, while they themselves rarely raised 
anything but their hands above the mud walls to discharge 
their pieces. The advancing stormers were repulsed again 
and again. 

The carnage was fearful, and when in rare instances 
Turk and Russian came to hand-to-hand fighting, owing 
to some specially daring and well-pressed attack, there 
was so little difference between the physical power of the 
men that the murderous wrestling caused a loss of life so 
large in proportion to the numbers engaged, that the fig- 
ures of the dead or injured were more like those resulting 
from the battles of the past centuries. 

Again, in the Balkans, the Turks under Zuleiman Pasha, 
after Osman had surrendered Plevna, offered prolonged 
and desperate resistance. One great mountain barrier in 
the Shipka Pass, a fort called St. Nicholas, was taken and 
retaken several times before the Turks, more than decimated 
by the Russian artillery and rifle fire, could be induced to 
give way. Adrianople at last saw the Russian army 
gathered within her walls, and her enemy thrown back 
from the lines covering the "sweet waters" of the Sea 
of Marmora. 

The treaty of San Stefano saved Constantinople from 
the Russians, whose losses had been very great. On 
March 3, 1878, the Emperor and his of&cers turned north- 
ward from a spot whence they could see the domes and 
minarets of Stamboul, and, lying on the water between them 
and the Mosque of San Sofia, the war-ships of the British 
navy. Never were we nearer war with a great European 
power. Six millions had been voted on the supplementary 
war estimate by the large majority of two hundred and 
four. Two ministers of pacific views had resigned. 

It was known that Indian troops would be summoned 
to take their part in the defence of the Mediterranean, but 
the menacing misfortune was averted, and a European 
congress was summoned at Berlin, resulting in a con- 
vention by which we occupied Cyprus, and in June, 1878, 
the representatives of the Great Powers, assembled in 

300 




THE QUEEN AT THE AGE OF SIXTY-SIX 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

congress, forced certain conditions on Turkey, strength- 
ened the position of Bulgaria, Servia, and Roumania, and 
gave Turkey another lease of life. Lord Beaconsfield 
and Lord Salisbury received the Garter and the freedom 
of the City of London, and it was declared that they had 
secured " peace with honor." 

The Parliament of 1876 was opened by the Queen in 
person in very bad weather, which her subjects noted with 
some surprise. "Queen's weather" had become a term 
of praise for the behavior of the elements almost whenever 
Britain's sovereign confided in that climate which has 
been denied by an American to exist at all, in the declara- 
tion that we have only " samples of weather. " Again there 
was a loving reception, the cheering as of old, and the 
shouting of Westminster School boys to finish up the 
chorus of loyal acclamation before the Queen entered the 
House. The old ceremonial was again observed which 
seated the princesses on the woolsack, facing the throne, 
with their, backs to the chamber, a custom which prevailed 
to the end of the reign, and was only altered in the first 
Parliament of King Edward VII., when the ladies of the 
family took their places on each side of the cloth of estate. 

The Queen being seated on the throne, the usual bois- 
terous rush behind the decorous Speaker was made by the 
members of the House of Commons to obtain a place at the 
bar, and when silence was again fully restored the Lord 
Chancellor knelt before the Queen and offered her the 
speech as though she would herself read it. But she, ac- 
cording to her previously expressed intention, only touched 
the paper, and signed to him to read it. After this had been 
done, the Queen, rising and bowing on each side to the 
peers, quitted the chamber, her procession marshalled 
before and behind her. She wore a black dress trimmed 
with miniver, a diamond crown, and tulle veil. 

Queen's weather prevailed on a Tuesday in the middle 
of March, although there was a cold and piercing wind, 
when she visited the East End of London — a region in 
which she always took the greatest interest, and about 

301 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

which she was always glad to hear. She liked to see 
what she could of it herself, and to receive the very 
hearty welcome of its people. Her new title of Empress 
of India was foreordained by one specially prophetic 
East-Ender, who put "Welcome, Empress of India" on 
his house. All along Whitechapel there was a double 
line of Venetian masts with garlands, festoons, and bunt- 
ing in endless profusion. 

She went in semi-state with Life Guards along the Em- 
bankment, and so on to the London Hospital, where, ac- 
companied by the Lord Mayor and all his following, she 
passed through the wards of the Grocers' Company, a 
wing which she named after herself and her daughter 
(Princess Beatrice). There was singing by a choir, pres- 
entation of addresses, and then all the old wards of the 
hospital were entered and the patients spoken with. 

Then came the turn of the children in another ward; 
one little child, who was severely burned, crying out that 
she would get well if she could only see the Queen, who at 
once went to her, talking to her and telHng her of her hope 
that she would soon be well again. 

There was no doubt that the Queen's presence and 
words were in some cases sufficient to do that which the 
panacea of the king's touch was supposed to do in the 
days of superstition. The beUef in cure and the good 
spirits favored by hope are, in many cases, sufficient to 
give a turn to maladies that weaken before a strengthen- 
ing of the nerves. 

The Grocers' Company that evening had a most joyous 
dinner in their hall, and the streets of the City were crowded 
and illuminated. 

In 1878 the Princess Alice caught diphtheria from her 
child whom she devotedly nursed, and died on the very 
day of the anniversary of her father's death. She was 
laid to rest at Rosenhohe, a beautiful recumbent figure 
by Boehm of mother and child being placed above her 
grave. 

The Queen wrote the following letter to the nation : 

302 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

"December 26th. 

" The Queen is anxious to take the earhest opportunity 
of expressing publicly her heartfelt thanks for the universal 
and most touching sympathy shown to her by all classes 
of her loyal and faithful subjects on the present occasion 
when it has pleased God to call from this world her dearly 
beloved daughter, Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse. 

" Overwhelmed with grief at the loss of a dear child, who 
was a bright example of loving tenderness, courageous 
devotion, and self-sacrifice to duty, it is most soothing to 
the Queen's f eeHngs to see how entirely her grief is shared 
by her people. The Queen's deeply afflicted son-in-law, 
the Grand Duke of Hesse, is also anxious to make known 
his sincere gratitude for the kind feelings expressed towards 
himself and his dear children in their terrible bereavement, 
and his gratification at the appreciation shown by the 
people of England of the noble and endearing qualities of 
her whom all now mourn. 

" Seventeen years ago at this very time, when a similar 
bereavement crushed the Queen's happiness, and this 
beloved and lamented daughter was her great comfort and 
support, the nation evinced the same touching sympathy, 
as well as when, in December, 1871, the Prince of Wales 
was at the point of death. 

" Such an exhibition of true and tender feeling will ever 
remain engraven on the Queen's heart, and is the more 
to be valued at this moment of great distress in the coun- 
try, which no one more deeply deplores than the Queen 
herself." 

The home life of the Queen was rendered happier in 
1879 by the marriage of Prince Arthur to Princess Louise 
Margaret of Prussia, daughter of the famous soldier, Prince 
Frederick Charles, who was known to his army as the 
Red Prince, on account of the scarlet uniform of the Ziethen 
Hussars which he wore. Prince Leopold was married to 
Princess Helen of Waldeck in 1882. He died two years 
afterwards at Cannes, leaving one daughter, while a son 

303 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

was born after his death, who was destined to succeed to 
his grandfather's rank in the Dukedom of Coburg and 
Gotha. 

Prince Leopold had delivered addresses in stj^le and 
thought recalling the manner and excellence of his father's. 
Claremont had an additional sad memory linked to the 
beauty of the place, for his short married life was spent 
there when he w^as not residing with the Queen. 

The title that he took was one borne by the ancient Stuarts 
and derived from Alban, an old name for Scotland before 
Ireland had lost its early name of Scotia, through the 
coming of the Scots to Argyllshire, and is probably of 
Pictish origin. 

The famous Regent Albany, the son of Robert III., made 
it well known during the eighteen years that James I. 
of Scotland was kept an honored captive at the Court of 
Henry IV. and V. It received tragic associations through 
the death of the Regent and his son, and had been last used 
to designate the wife of the last of the Stuart line who died 
at Rome. 

The Queen loved to recall her Scottish ancestry, and 
liked to revive this ancient name. It used to be said of her 
Majesty that she herself was the last of the Jacobites, and 
she would welcome anything which was written in favor 
of the most unfortunate of all the long line of her Stuart 
" forbears " — Mary, the victim of the jealousy of her cousin 
Elizabeth and of the fears of Cecil. 

The opening of the law courts in the Strand, in December, 
1882, gave a welcome holiday to London. Westminster 
Hall was no longer to be the place where lawyers could walk 
up and down and discuss the details of their briefs. The 
small and somewhat inconvenient courts which used to be 
entered from that hall were swept away to give place to 
offices, rooms, and other chambers, for the benefit of those 
associated with Parliament. Wider range, greater space, 
and more numerous rooms were to be given to the repre- 
sentatives of the law. It was felt that it was a pity the 
necessity of architecture could not reproduce some vast 

304 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

chamber like that which was to be deserted, and that the 
space reserved for waiting and private discussion in the 
new courts was not upon the same level as the chambers 
occupied by the judges — an advantage which the courts at 
Edinburgh and Dublin both enjoy. 

As early as ten o'clock the judges, who had already 
breakfasted in the Peers' dining-room with the Lord Chan- 
cellor, were to pass through Westminster Hall for the last 
time. They came, headed by the Lord Chancellor in black 
and gold, the Chief Justice in scarlet and ermine, the Master 
of the Rolls, and then all the other judges in pairs, the At- 
torney-General and Solicitor-General, prepared to fight a 
rear-guard action, closing the procession, and so by carriage 
to the Strand. 

The cheers of the multitude and the appearance of the 
Life Guards in the open space in front heralded the ap- 
proach of the Queen with her two daughters. The princes 
wore their Bencher's gowns over their uniforms. The 
Queen was led to her chair of State, and she delivered a 
short address after giving the key, which had been pre- 
sented to Lord Selborne, who received it kneeling. Then 
came a prayer from the Archbishop of York, and a previous 
Archbishop's grandson, in the person of Sir William Har- 
court, announced that he had her Majesty's permission 
to declare the building open. The Attorney-General next 
came before the Queen, and asked, in the name of the Bar 
of England, that the day's proceedings should be entered 
on the records of the Supreme Court. The Lord Chancellor 
answered that the thing should be done as prayed. The 
Prince of Wales presented the next address on behalf of the 
four Inns of Court, and another was tendered by the In- 
corporated Law Society, after which the first assembly with- 
in the walls of the new courts, in which no argument was 
offered, and no cause was pleaded, and no contention occur- 
red, was over. Mr. Street, to whom the design of the great 
pile was due, the builders, their workmen, and others, had 
their turn to salute the Queen outside before her carriage 
again rolled away, accompanied by its mounted escorts. 

305 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

At Berlin, the silver wedding was celebrated on January 
25, 1883, of the Queen's eldest daughter, who was now 
the Princess Imperial of Germany, and it was quoted of her 
at the time that Moltke had said she had shown that she 
could love both countries and be true to both mother and 
husband. There was a medal struck in honor of the com- 
memoration, with a jewel pendant, which was given to their 
relatives by the Prince and Princess, and which had the 
emblems of the German Empire — the eagle and the crown, 
as well as the red and white rose, with the thistle and 
shamrock interwined. 

The Queen was able to hold a Drawing-room and open 
the International Fisheries Exhibition in May at South 
Kensington, where much interest was shown in the com- 
paratively new industry of artificial fish-breeding. This 
art has been largely patronized by the United States gov- 
ernment, for they have found in America that a too indis- 
criminate fishing can completely ruin the salmon fisheries, 
thus justifying the ancient practice in this country of con- 
ferring such rights only by royal charter, whereby it often 
happens that the owner of the bank himself may have no 
right whatever to kill the salmon in the stream. This 
right has always been jealously j^reserved with a view to 
keeping up a constant supply, and to allow the fish to as- 
cend the rivers freely and without molestation, in order 
that they may reach their spawning-beds. 

To such an extent has it been found necessary on the 
other side of the Atlantic to retrace the too generous steps 
taken by a government depending entirely upon the votes 
of the unscientific, that even on the sea-banks vast numbers 
of eggs, artificially hatched, are poured forth in the hope of 
teaching the young idea of the fish to come back to the 
haunts where they first tasted the delights of freedom in 
the water. 

Canada, owing to the more careful preservation of her 
rivers, obtains from the sale of fish and other licenses for 
rod-fishing a far greater profit than is obtained by her 
Southern neighbor. All this, and many other lessons, 

306 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

this exhibition brought to men's minds, while their eyes 
were gladdened by the sight of marvellous casts painted 
to the life by the brush of Mr. Frank Buckland. 

The Queen resolved in this year also to institute an order 
to reward one of the noblest professions among us — namely, 
that of the women nurses. The new order has as its in- 
signia a cross shaped something like that bestowed for 
valor, but with the sovereign's head in a medallion in the 
centre. This was intended as a mark by which those who 
distinguish themselves might be known. 

Sir Arthur Sullivan, whom we so lately lost, and who 
has been more successful than any British musician of his 
time, received the honor of knighthood at the end of May. 
He has been among those who have helped to have musical 
dramas or operas sung in English. His work " Ivanhoe " 
was successful, but repeated too often, serious plays or 
operas being less attractive during a succession of rep- 
resentations than comic opera. In comic opera he, with 
Gilbert as librettist, easily excelled all others. There is no 
doubt that the British public could have and ought to have 
English opera given as well and as cheaply as German or 
French opera is given to all in Germany and France. 

Another anniversary was celebrated in 1883 with great 
acclaim at Birmingham — namely, Mr. Bright's jubilee. 
That most eloquent man — the best speaker of his day — 
was for a short time brought into the harness of the State as 
a Minister. The tempestuous character of his oratory was 
mellow^ed as his views were widened, and age brought a 
more comprehensive knowledge of men and things. His 
health was already not what his friends would have wished. 
Fits of giddiness occasionally attacked him, and he -w^as 
not able to devote to the arduous and long-continued drudg- 
ery of office the constant attention or the patience required. 

His name will always live, with that of his friend Cobden, 
as the potent advocate of free-trade, and of many a measure 
designed to benefit his fellow-countrymen. Of a most 
kindly disposition and excellent heart, his mind was always 
receptive not only to public but to private claims upon his 

307 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

sympathy' and generosity. He was certainly the greatest 
among those who call themselves the Society of Friends, 
some of whom were, like himself, eager enough to crush an 
individual opponent by word of mouth, although thej?^ 
always shrank from the use of the armed embodiment of 
right when arrayed in fleet and army. 

The Queen alwaj^s took the greatest interest in the ques- 
tion of the housing of the working-classes, and her interest 
was equally shared by the Prince of Wales. The Prince 
was a member of the important commission on this ques- 
tion before whom, in 1884, Lord Shaftesbury was sum- 
moned as a witness, as well as Mr. G. R. Sims, Mr. Shaw 
Lefevre, and a number of other gentlemen. 

Already in many provincial towns, as well as in London, 
a good deal has been done in the erection of model lodging- 
houses. In Glasgow, for instance, where cheap eating- 
houses were long ago introduced under the guidance of 
Mr. Corbett, it is possible to have meals at extremely low 
prices. Large blocks of buildings — having on the lower 
story dining-rooms, bath-rooms, and kitchens, and on the 
upper floors hundreds of cabins each containing a bed — 
have been provided by that enterprising municipalitj?-, who 
seem to be able to do everything except to keep their river 
clean. 

Perhaps the most remarkable success attained in recent 
years in regard to the housing question has been through 
the erection of lodging-houses inLondon on the plan adopted 
by Lord Rowton, better known as Mr. Montagu Corry, who 
was for so long secretary to Lord Beaconsfield. These 
buildings, erected in several parts of the metropolis, have 
secured homes at a marvellously cheap rate, where health, 
cleanliness, and good nourishment can all be obtained at 
the same time. These institutions, being conducted on a 
business footing, give a very good return to those who have 
seen fit to invest in them. The dwellings, however, are 
only for single men, and it may be hoped that a similar 
principle will be found equally successful for those rejoicing 
in family life. 

308 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

King Theebaw, of Burmah, declared war against England 
in 1885. He was an amiable potentate, who was in the 
habit of making a solemn sacrifice of a considerable number 
of his relatives, and had little idea of keeping to any other 
obligation. One of the causes which produced a quarrel 
was his prevention of a company acting on their rights, as 
secured by agreement with him, from taking teak timber 
from certain forests which had been given to them for the 
purpose. These trees, so valuable for all kinds of purposes, 
and much used in the construction of decks in ships, as 
well as for almost everything where durability of wood 
is wanted, have a habit of growing singly, and are not 
usually found in great groves together. It is, therefore, 
necessary to have a very considerable area in which to 
search for them, and accusations were made that the limits 
had been exceeded in which it was permitted to seek for them. 
It was, however, an arbitrary denial on the part of the King 
of agreements entered into — part of the caprice which 
was a leading feature in his character. 

King Theebaw's troops fought rather better than they 
were expected to do, and the resistance, especially to the 
north in the thick jungles, lasted for a considerable period. 
The annexation of the whole country to Great Britain 
followed, and the Governor-General of India, Lord Dufferin, 
who had insisted upon the necessity of the step, took, as an 
addition to his title, the name of " Ava," which was one of 
the ancient names of the newly annexed realm. Since 
Theebaw's reign was brought to a conclusion the whole 
country has steadily advanced, and peace has been pre- 
served, while the old King's family have lived without 
any of the sudden calamities being brought upon them that 
were formerly coincident with the bad temper of the august 
head of that domestic circle. 

The security of the Canadian Northwest was assured 
in the same season. There the same man whom Sir Garnet 
Wolseley had driven across the frontier in 187 1 — a man 
named Riel — had returned to the banks of the great Sas- 
katchewan River, with a view of fomenting disaffection 

309 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

among the French and Indian half-caste people, who had 
begun to object to everything which the Canadian gov- 
ernment did with a view to the introduction of more white 
settlers. Kiel was joined by a good many of the Indians 
who, under the bad advice of their half-white friends, were 
in danger of losing the advantages which had been secured 
to them by the very liberal treatment accorded them by the 
Canadian government. It was natural that they should 
be disconcerted when they realized that they had to be on 
their good behavior, that the ancient hunting-days were 
over, and that they could no longer war or follow the chase 
just as they pleased. 

Upon the buffalo their ancestors and they had depended 
for generations, for that animal gave them their meat, which 
they dried for use in winter ; it gave them their tliread, for 
they used buffalo sinews in place of string or thread ; it gave 
them their clothing, for the hide was the best protection 
against the weather. It gave them also the cover for their 
tepees, or tents. These were always erected on the prairie 
by means of poles tied together at the height of ten or twelve 
feet, and covered with the skins of buffaloes, from which 
the hair had been taken, and which were painted with 
figures of warriors, horses, and other animals. A little 
fire in the centre warmed the whole " dwelling," which had 
an opening in the skins above for the egress of the smoke. 
Around the circumference of the interior were little par- 
titions, like miniature boxes in a stable, constructed with 
enlaced thongs. 

The other robes, as the Indians call skins, were placed 
upon the ground, and each member of the family had a 
separate sleeping-place for himself or herself, while a recess, 
also constructed of skins, opposite the entrance, over which 
another skin hung, was a treasure chest, where the finest 
embroidery, saddles, and robes were deposited. 

The handles of their war clubs were made of buffalo 
hide, this being exceedingly strong and elastic, vSO that 
the blow dealt by the egg-shaped stones inserted at the end 
of the stick, and fastened to it by a thong, was a blow 

310 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

which could be given with tremendous force. And to the 
end of this "shaganappy" staff, as it is called, would be 
fixed, also by a piece of buffalo sinew, a scalp or two taken 
in battle from the dead, together with one or two feathers 
denoting the number of scalps. 

You will, therefore, see that weapon, house, clothing, 
thread, and shoes, all being from the produce of one animal, 
made it seem to the poor Indian almost a necessity of life 
that the unlimited hunting of this creature should still be 
allowed. But the red man could no longer be the only hunt- 
er. The white man's rifle, as well as the improvidence of 
the Indians in killing the cows, was gradually making a 
herd of buffalo a most uncommon sight. Where the plains 
used to be so full of them that almost as far as the eye could 
reach there was a moving mass of shaggy, brown, hump- 
backed bison, a few years had caused so great a change 
that little but their whitened bones, their skulls with the 
short, curved, black horns, were left to show where myri- 
ads had sought their food, wandering north as the spring 
brought the succulent pasture to the prairie, and south 
again when the early winter snows began to whistle through 
the November air. 

The Canadian and United States governments had both 
met the Indians' wants by providing them with rations; 
but a pannikin of flour was considered but a poor substitute 
for the smoking steak which they loved. Riel, returning 
from the States, added fuel to the fire of apprehension, in- 
dignation, and ignorance, and the whole country to the 
north of Brandon became unsettled. This trouble, like 
others, led to good. The Canadian volunteers gathered 
together from the different provinces, and although the 
railway at that time had many breaks in the line to the 
north of Lake Superior, the volunteers, conquering all 
obstacles, made long marches in difficult weather when 
the snows were melting, and finallj'^ appeared, though in 
too small a force, in front of the intrenchments thrown 
up by the "Metis," as the mixed race was called, in the 
neighborhood of Batoche, on the Saskatchewan. 

311 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

The present Governor-General, Lord Minto, was one of 
those who accompanied General Middleton. He was on 
the staff of that commander, and was nearly shot on two 
or three occasions by Gabriel Dumont, a noted sharp-shooter 
among the insurgents. These occupied a copse-covered 
country, and had perpared excellent trenches with head 
cover. A long line of communication which the Canadian 
government forces had to guard had reduced their actual 
fighting force at the front to a number about equal to that 
of their intrenched enemy. On the third day after the 
volunteers had appeared before the intrenchments, the 
Toronto regiment " took the bull by the horns," and charg- 
ing down, was joined by the other scanty battalions present. 
The trenches were taken and peace was secured to the 
Northwest by this charge, and by another action which 
took place farther west in the neighborhood of Fort Carlton, 
where a Gatling detachment, under a very gallant officer. 
Captain Short, of the Royal Canadian Artillery, had a 
hand-to-hand fight. Short's cap being taken off his head 
by a rifle bullet. 

Nor must we forget, still farther west, another band of 
Indians under a chief called Big Bear. These were fought 
and scattered under the leadership of General Strange and 
Colonel Steele. The latter, wearing a red jacket, in the days 
when khaki had not become compulsory, distinguished 
himself, as he had several times before, in a personal strug- 
gle in which he came off the victor. The popularity of the 
militia force was conspicuously shown by the reception in 
each province of the returning troops, and from that time 
there has been no reason to fear for the security of an}'- 
settler, however isolated, throughout the whole of the 
prairie country of British North America. Kiel expiated 
his crime on the scaffold at the town of Regina not long 
afterwards. 

Literature lost one of its most shining lights in 1885 
through the death of Victor Hugo, who had for a long time 
chosen to live in one of her MajcvSty's possessions, the 
Channel Islands, whence he derived his inspirations for 

312 



THE SEVENTIES TO THE EIGHTIES 

one of his remarkable works called The Toilers of the 
Sea. 

The Queen went to the Isle of Wight to prepare for the 
wedding of Princess Beatrice, which took place in July 
of 1885. On the lawn in front of Osborne House, she 
inspected the members of the corps which had been mounted 
on camels during the Soudan campaign. There were near- 
ly six hundred men, who arrived off Cowes in the transport 
Australia, all looking much rejoiced to leave the torrid 
heat of Alexandria and see again the green fields of Old 
England. The evergreen glades of Osborne echoed to 
music as the men marched up and took their place in line. 
The Queen left her carriage, walking along and closely in- 
specting all ranks, who were in campaign kit — the Heavy 
Cavalry in khaki and the Guards' Corps in scarlet. Many 
of both uniforms showed the hard work of the campaign. 
Each officer was afterwards called to the front and intro- 
duced to the Queen, who spoke in high praise of their work 
and welcomed them home. The " Camelry," as they were 
called, rejoiced in a new flag, representing a black camel 
rampant on a white ground, and this flag the troop-ship 
that brought them home had flying upon her mast. 

The marriage of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry 
of Battenberg took place at the pretty little church of Whip- 
pingham, the ceremony being performed by the Archbishop 
of Canterbury. The roads leading across the field were 
lined with holiday-making folks. There was a beautiful 
show of fireworks, and a dinner and dance given by the 
Queen to her tenants and servants. The Siamese band 
played one evening, and there was a great gathering of 
yachts, the roads at Cowes being fuller than ever, not 
only with the fairy fleet of sailers, but also with a large 
number of fine steamers. The tonnage of the steam 
yachts had for some time past been increasing, and it was 
a feature of the gathering that one or two large vessels 
belonging to American citizens were among the finest 
of those gathered in the Solent. 

Prince Henry subsequently took the greatest practical 

313 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

interest in yachting, and possessed himself of an excellent 
vessel in the Sheilah, in which he made many expeditions 
round the west coast of Scotland, and also visited the 
Mediterranean. 

The Queen drove down to the shore with the Prince and 
Princess to see the procession of yachts of the Ro3^al Yacht 
Squadron, the final parade of the "white wings/' which 
always scatter in August, carrying their owners to other 
places around our shores, as well as to many a more distant 
harbor. While it has been often observed of late that 
the number of British seamen in our mercantile marine is 
steadily decreasing, it is pleasant to think that this holiday 
fleet is manned almost entirely by those of British birth. 

The war between Servia and Bulgaria brought to the 
notice of Europe the soldier-life and noble qualities of 
Prince Henry of Battenberg's elder brother. Prince Alex- 
ander, who, placed in that most difficult position in Europe, 
the Princedom of Bulgaria, with great ability and energy 
organized the Bulgarian army, so that when the Servian 
invasion of the country took place, it was able to rapidly 
mobilize in the most inclement season of the year, and 
be placed at Slevnitza in a position which conmianded the 
approaches to Sofia. 

A battle ensued, which was truly a soldiers' battle, and 
the good shooting, discipline, and endurance of the Bul- 
garians were proved by the complete overthrow of the 
Servian invaders. The victory ought to have guaranteed 
Prince Alexander against the machinations of conspirators. 
That it did not do so is a matter of history, and the capture 
of the Prince by a section of the very officers he commanded, 
and his deposition, was an incident which did not tend to 
encourage confidence in the stability of the new State, which 
was the creation of those who hoped that the fine and varied 
territory it possesses would be distinguished by the practice 
of laws insuring toleration and a reasonable use of the in- 
stitutions of representative government. One may still, 
however, venture to hope that the State has a great future 
before it. 

314 



CHAPTER X 

THE JUBILEE AND AFTER 

The Queen's life was made brighter by the residence of 
the young married couple under her roof, and the following 
years were very busy ones with her, for she appeared a 
good deal more in public. 

In the amusement of children she always delighted, 
and on the third birthday of the Duke of Albany's little 
girl, Hengler's Circus was allowed to give an exhibition 
in the Riding School at Windsor Castle, a kind of enter- 
tainment which the Queen had never attended since the 
hour of her great sorrow. But now a large party of young 
and old walked down from the Castle and sat looking for an 
hour and a half at the performing horses and everything 
that the enterprising proprietor could show — a reminder of 
the now long-past days when Astley's used to entertain 
everybody of all ages, and when Russian wars were rep- 
resented in a sixty-feet circle, and British prisoners were 
offered, for their sole food and sustenance, by Russian 
jailers, a half-dozen Lambeth farthing tallow candles. 

For music the Queen always had the greatest love, and 
Gounod's fine composition, "Death and Life," was per- 
formed before her at the Albert Hall. The ladies of the 
Royal Albert Hall Choral Society presented her with flow- 
ers, there was an immense audience, and when the ora- 
torio was concluded, Mr. Bamby, the conductor, and the 
principal singers were presented to the Queen, receiving 
her thanks for the performance, which she said had given 
her the greatest pleasure. 

Close to the same spot she performed, in May, 1886, the 
ceremony of the inauguration of the Indian and Colonial 

315 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Exhibition — a signal mark of the times, when the over- 
flowing wealth of the Empire, which during her lifetime 
had expanded as had none other before in the world's 
historj^, was shown by those things which its many 
rulers considered the best proofs of their success. 

It was in her name that the governors, and councils, 
and Parliament, and assemblies, and princes, and chiefs 
scattered over the whole world, exercised their dominion, 
and it was under her title as Queen, or as Empress, that 
four hundred millions of human beings called themselves 
the citizens of her unparalleled Empire. From all these 
had been sent to London a representation, not of their 
armed power, but of that for which armament exists — name- 
ly, the wealth and produce of their varied continents and 
islands. 

There was an entrance hall called the Colonial Hall, 
where a guard of honor awaited the Queen, and the Prince 
of Wales, as president of the exhibition, received her, pre- 
senting all the commissioners from the Colonies. With 
heralds and State officials in front of her she walked, with 
the Prince of W^ales on her right and the Duke of Connaught 
on her left, and the Princess of Wales and other princes 
and princesses behind her, from the Colonial Hall through 
the Indian galleries, resplendent with Indian fabrics, and 
made stately by imitations of Eastern architecture, to a 
section representing Old London and an Old London street. 
Thence through the Indian palace, and the other varied 
display, until the main hall was reached, where a chair of 
State was placed for her. The national anthem was 
sung, one verse being in Sanskrit, and an ode by Temiyson 
to Sullivan's music followed. 

Then the Queen rose and said, in answer to the Prince's 
address : 

" I receive with the greatest satisfaction the address you 
have presented to me on the opening of this exhibition. 
I have observed, with a warm ajid increasing interest, the 
progress of your proceedings in the execution of the duties 
intrusted to you by the Royal Commission, and it affords 

316 




THE AUTHORIZED DIAMOND JUBILEE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE QUEEN 



THE JUBILEE AND AFTER 

me sincere gratification to witness the successful results 
of your judicious and unremitting exertions in the magnif- 
icent exhibition which has been gathered together here to- 
day. 

"I am deeply moved by your reference to the circum- 
stances in which the ceremony of 1851 took place, and I 
heartily concur in the belief j''ou have expressed that the 
Prince Consort, my beloved husband, had he been spared, 
would have witnessed with intense interest the develop- 
ment of his idea, and would, I may add, have seen with 
pleasure our son taking the lead in a movement of which 
he was the originator. 

" I cordially concur with you in the prayer that this under- 
taking may be the means of imparting a stimulus to the 
commercial interest and intercourse of all parts of my 
dominions, by encouraging the arts of peace and industry, 
and by strengthening the bonds of union which now exist 
in every portion of my Empire." 

The Queen then received the key from the Prince. The 
Lord Chamberlain, by her desire, declared the exhibition 
to be opened. A flourish of trumpets and a royal salute 
proclaimed the same to the people. The Archbishop of 
Canterbury offered prayer ; Madame Albani sang " Home, 
Sweet Home," and then "Rule, Britannia" ended the 
day's proceedings, the Queen retiring with the Prince. 

The Queen went to Liverpool at the desire of its citizens 
to help a local exhibition, which did not, however, prove 
so great a success as was hoped, the truth being that the 
great town upon the Mersey had so many other attractions 
that it was difficult to concentrate the attention of the public 
upon its great show, except upon the day when the Queen's 
visit brought vast crowds to the site, too far removed from 
the central district of the city. 

Edinburgh shared the same fate in regard to the success 
of its "Fair." Where people can have beautiful views, 
such as those from the Castle at Edinburgh and from 
Arthur's Seat, and make excursions to the Firth of Forth, 
to Linlithgow and Stirling, and other places of romantic 

317 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

beauty or historic interest, they will not care, unless special- 
ly interested in some commercial sample, to spend a day 
among passages filled with merchandise, however well de- 
signed or cunningly wrought they may be. 

Birmingham also claimed the Queen's presence to lay 
the foundation stone of the new Victoria courts of justice 
early in 1887. Not less than two and a half miles of 
stands are said to have been erected along the route, and 
were filled with jDeople who assembled on that boisterous 
day in March to see her drive as usual in an open car- 
riage, despite wind and weather. In the High Street 
splendid triumphal arches were erected. At a place called 
the Bull Ring an enormous number of the town and 
neighborhood collected, and again in Council House 
Square, which was one dense mass of humanity. The 
Queen entered the Town Hall, where the Corporation had 
invited over two hundred persons, and the Recorder read 
an address as she stood on the dais. She expressed, in 
reply, the pleasure her new acquaintance with Birming- 
ham gave her, and referred to the fact that it was twenty- 
nine years since the last time she had been in the town, 
and then it was with the Prince Consort. 

After speaking with Mrs. Chamberlain, the procession 
passed to Colmore Row, where the metal-workers' arch 
was erected. It looked imposing and solid enough to vie 
with the arch of Titus, for the piers and arches were com- 
posed of twenty tons of brass, copper, and iron tubes. A 
portrait of the Queen was in a shield, which bore the arms 
of Birmingham, all the patterns being made with steel 
pens. At King Edward's School, in New Street, a halt 
was made, the two thousand children having, as it were, 
an audience of the Queen all to themselves. 

The law courts Hvere guarded by tremendous trophies of 
swords and guns and bayonets; and when the stone had 
been laid, and the architects presented, the Queen's work 
was over for the day, and, much pleased with her hearty 
reception, she returned to Windsor to prepare for a brief 
holiday at Cannes, where she occupied a villa called after 

318 



THE JUBILEE AND AFTER 

the lovely Alpine flower Edelweiss, and had a time of rest 
which she much enjoyed. 

Aix-les-Bains was also visited, this being the first time 
the Queen had seen this beautiful health resort, which 
she afterwards liked so much that at one time she thought 
of purchasing a villa here. The roads in every direction 
along the shores of Lake Bourget are excellent. The in- 
terest of the district bears memories from the days when 
the Romans found out the healing virtues of its waters 
to the present time. Within a two hours' drive is Chamb6ry, 
the headquarters of the French Alpine Corps, who, in blue 
serge, with blue bonnets on their heads, and with mule- 
borne mountain guns, show themselves indeed a most 
admirably equipped force; while a very different aspect of 
life is presented by the monks of the Great Chartreuse. 
All these places afford a variety and an interest, as well 
as a complete change, of scene, which are most refreshing. 

Nothing could exceed the courtesy shown at all times 
by the French, from the President downward through 
all ranks, to the Queen whenever she visited France. Most 
charming and accomplished officers were always selected 
for the command of the troops forming the guards of honor 
or in attendance upon her Majesty at Aix-les-Bains. It 
was remarkable on one occasion that both the officers com- 
manding her personal escort and the officer commanding 
the division of troops in the neighborhood were descendants 
of men who had emigrated in bygone centuries from the 
north of Ireland, bearing the names of Niel and O'Neil. 

The burial-place of the old Dukes of Savoy, a royal 
house with which our own was connected, is on the oppo- 
site side of the lake, where many a splendid monument in 
marble has been restored from the ruin wrought by the 
troops of the French Revolution. 

Now was to commence the frequent acknowledgment 
of expressions of loyalty felt for the Queen at the attain- 
ment of her Jubilee. The delegates to a colonial con- 
ference, who had been speaking with one another on ques- 
tions of common interest, commenced by presenting an 

319 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

address at Windsor, telling her how her colonial subjects 
of European descent had increased during her time from 
two millions to nine millions ; how those of Asia and India 
had increased from ninety-six millions to two hundred and 
fifty-four millions, and of other people in the Colonies from 
two millions to seven millions, there being seven million 
square miles of colonial area, and India having close upon 
fourteen million. 

The Lord Mayor and Corporation of London, as is their 
loyal wont, were among the earliest to present their loy- 
al congratulations. They were received in the Throne 
Room at Buckingham Palace by the Queen, with her Garter 
Ribbon over the shoulder, and her decorations on the black 
silk dress. The sword and mace of the City were held 
reversed in her presence. The company were told by her 
how she looked back with great satisfaction on the past 
history of her reign as she recalled how much of its pros- 
perity was owing, under God, to the sound sense and good 
feeling of her subjects, and to the sympathy which had 
united the throne and the people. 

These State receptions were varied by paying a visit 
to see the American show at Earl's Court, where a famous 
frontier scout, Buffalo Bill, in his long locks and sombrero 
hat, gave her a representation of the ancient days of the 
prairie country in the United States, when Indians on horse- 
back were still able to attack stage coaches, and enterpris- 
ing emigrants heading over the prairies for Pike's Peak 
had to ride all armed, and guard their wagons by bands 
of horsemen, each with his rifle in his hand. 

Again not sparing herself, even on the eve of being 
obliged to undergo so much State fatigue, the Queen drove 
to the East End of London, to the opening of the People's 
Palace in the Mile End Road. The East End greatly dis- 
tinguished itself in the heartiness of its welcome ; the people 
stood in serried ranks, enthusiastically glad to see her. 
At the London Hospital was the inscription, " When sick, 
ye visited me," and "God bless Her Majesty." The little 
people in the children's ward crowded the windows in their 

320 



THE JUBILEE AND AFTER 

flannel gowns. The People's Palace itself was beautifully 
decorated with palms and flowers. The Queen wore this 
time a bunch of lilac in her bonnet, and carried a nosegay 
of damask roses. Sir Edmund Currie, who had done a 
great amount of work in the creation of this place, the 
original idea of which came, like many other good things, 
from the fertile imagination of Sir Walter Besant, who had 
described an imaginary palace of the kind in his book All 
Sorts and Conditions of Men. The Queen, after the hall 
had been formally opened, laid the first stone of a technical 
handicraft school to be part and parcel of this most useful 
institution. 

This year, too, the Queen herself received, by the wish 
of the Society of Arts, the Albert medal, which was voted 
to her by those who have awarded this mark of distinction 
for many years to persons of especial merit in promoting arts, 
manufactures, or commerce, according to the desire of the 
Prince Consort, in whose memory the distribution took 
place a year after his death. Great men famous in science, 
such as Whitworth, Liebig, Bessemer and Faraday, Sir 
/William Thomson (now Lord Kelvin), also Dr. Pasteur 
and Lord Lister, had before been among its recipients. 
The last will always be remembered in the annals of medi- 
cine for the antiseptic treatment, and for the use of the anti- 
toxins which destroy so many of the noxious living atoms 
which have afflicted mankind with various diseases. 
Pasteur's great discovery, which has done much to rob the 
bite of rabid dogs of its terrors, has made Paris a place of 
pilgrimage for those thus afflicted, and it was hoped that the 
conferring of the Albert medal would have been followed 
by the institution in England of places to which we could 
resort in cases of danger from hydrophobia, without having 
to cross the Channel to undergo the necessary treatment 
for this terrible scourge. 

Jubilee day, June 2 1st, dawned in unclouded splendor. 

The course to be taken by the procession which was to 

accompany the Queen to Westminster Abbey to return 

thanks to the Almighty for the blessings vouchsafed to 

X 321 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

her and her people was by no means a long route. It 
started from Buckingham Palace, went up Constitution 
Hill, and from under the old Wellington arch emerged 
upon Piccadilly, going along that street to the head of 
St. James's Street, where it turned down, and then on 
ward by Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square, and Whitehall, to 
the great western door of the Abbey. The crimson- 
covered stands were crowded with gayly dressed people. 
There was a broad fringe of people in the streets, which 
were lined by troops in full uniform,. The long river of 
color which preceded, accompanied, and followed the State 
carriage of the Queen flowed slowly along amid continu- 
ous acclamations. With the Crown Princess of Germany 
and the Princess of Wales in her carriage, the Queen sat 
bowing and smiling, and so passed on to the most beau- 
tiful of Gothic abbeys, where she took her place upon the 
ancient throne which holds the mysterious stone. 

High up on every side the galleries were crowded with 
the invited guests. A considerable space separated the 
Queen from the steps of the altar, where the archbishops 
and clergy, the first in purple copes, conducted the service. 
Immediately behind the Queen's throne were grouped the 
men of her family. The choir of three hundred voices 
sang magnificently, and when the last prayer had been 
said, and the sound of the singing voices had died away, 
each of her children in turn went up to her, rendering 
their homage and receiving a kiss. And then, amid 
renewed strains on the organ, she rose, and the proces- 
sion reformed and returned by the way it came to the 
palace. The presents given to her seemed almost endless 
in number. 

The appearance of the Prince Imperial of Gennany in 
the Jubilee procession was more like that of one of the legen- 
dary heroes embodied in the creations of Wagner than of a 
soldier of to-day, for nothing could exceed the splendor of 
his presence in a uniform wholly white, and having on his 
burnished steel helmet the great silver crest of an eagle 
with outspread wings. Every one along the route admired 

322 



THE JUBILEE AND AFTER 

this beloved Prince, who, alas 1 at the next jubilee, ten years 
afterwards, had already passed "beyond these voices." 

The Queen's words of recognition to her people were as 
follows : 

Windsor Castle, June 24th. 

" I am anxious to express to my people my warm thanks 
for the kind, and more than kind, reception I met with on 
going to and returning from Westminster Abbey with all 
my children and grandchildren. 

" The enthusiastic reception I met with then, as well as on 
those eventful days in London, as well as in Windsor, on 
the occasion of my Jubilee, has touched me most deeply, 
and has shown that the labors and anxieties of fifty long 
years — ^twenty-two years of which I spent in unclouded 
happiness, shared with and cheered by my beloved hus- 
band, while an equal number were full of sorrows and 
trials borne without his sheltering arm and wise help — • 
have been appreciated by my people. This feeling and 
the sense of duty towards my dear country and subjects, 
who are so inseparably bound up with my life, will en- 
courage me in my task, often a very difficult and arduous 
one, during the remainder of my life. 

"The wonderful order preserved on this occasion, and 
the good behavior of the enormous multitudes assembled, 
merits my highest admiration. That God may protect and 
abundantly bless my country is my fervent prayer. 

"Victoria, R. and I." 

Twenty -three thousand volunteers marched past the 
Queen, as she sat in a pavilion erected in front of Bucking- 
ham Palace, in July. Still continuing the round of her 
public ceremonies, she laid the first stone of the Imperial 
Institute, saying: "I concur with you in thinking that 
the counsel and exertions of my beloved husband initiated 
a movement which gave increased vigor to commercial 
activity, and produced marked and lasting improvements 
in industrial efforts. One indirect result of that movement 
has been to bring more before the minds of men the vast 

323 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

and varied resources of the Empire over which Providence 
has willed that I should reign during fifty prosperous years. 
I believe and hope that the Imperial Institute will play a 
useful part in combining those resources for the common 
advantage of all my subjects, conducing towards the 
welding of the Colonies, India, and the mother-country, 
into one harmonious and united community." 

The two great services for the defence of the country 
had an opportunity of paying their tribute. Fifty-eight 
thousand men with one hundred and two guns were re- 
viewed at Aldershot, and a mighty fleet of one hundred 
and thirty-five vessels with five hundred guns and twenty 
thousand officers and men saluted their sovereign. The 
review of the sea forces was especially magnificent, for 
a fresh wind blew the great flags at the masts of each 
vessel squarely out, and the royal yacht, taking a posi- 
tion at the close of the display off the eastern end of the 
Isle of Wight, saw the two great divisions rush past, the 
numbers being so great that the first vessels had become 
mere dark dots on the horizon when the last went by, 
flinging the foam of the blue waves from the sharp and 
perpendicular lines of their bows. 

At the review of the troops at Aldershot the Duke of 
Cambridge, Commander-in-Chief, was on the field, and 
Lord Wolseley rode with him. The King of Saxony and 
the King of the Hellenes were also present. The Queen 
had slept at the Pavilion. The troops stretched away 
from the Basingstoke Canal to the slopes of the hill called 
Csesar's Camp. The royal salute throughout the long line 
was given with magnificent precision. After the review 
the Duke of Cambridge spoke thus on behalf of the aniiy : 

"Your Majesty's army, including the reserve forces, 
approaches the throne and offers its respectful homage 
and congratulations upon the completion of the fiftieth 
year of your Majesty's reign, and begs your gracious 
acceptance of an offering to commemorate that happy 
event, and as a tribute of its love and devotion. 

"During those fifty years the army has been called 

324 



THE JUBILEE AND AFTER 

upon to maintain the interests of the British Empire in 
every quarter of the globe. It is deeply grateful for the 
concern which your Majesty has ever shown for its welfare 
in peace or war and in its history, and for your Majesty's 
sympathy for the widows and orphans, and those who 
have fallen in defence of the British flag." 

The Queen in reply said: "The loyal and dutiful ex- 
pression of congratulations of my army and auxiliary 
forces upon the completion of the fiftieth year of my reign 
is a source of deep satisfaction to me, and I accept with 
pleasure this tribute of love and devotion. Whenever, 
during that reign, I have had to call upon the army to per- 
form its duty in any part of the world, it has never failed to 
justify the confidence and earn the gratitude of myself and 
my people by its gallantry and self-devotion, and I have 
no doubt that, should the occasion unfortunately arise, I 
can rely with equal Confidence upon the co-operation of 
my auxiliary forces. 

"But however confident I may feel in the valor and 
endurance of my troops, there is no blessing which I, at 
this season, more earnestly ask Almighty God to extend 
to my people during the remainder of my reign than that 
of peace." 

A garden-party given by the Queen in the grounds at 
Buckingham Palace terminated the London season. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE LAST DECADE OF THE CENTURY 

The great deep-water dock at Southampton was opened 
in 1890. The dock had cost about £350,000 ; its entrance 
was one hundred and seventy-five feet wide, and the water 
area of its interior eighteen acres. 

The Queen came for the ceremony from Osborne, and 
named the new water space the Empress Dock. A pretty 
observance was repeated of making the vessel which bore 
the Queen break a ribbon stretched across from side to 
side at the entrance to the newly finished quays. 

The clever and gifted Queen of Roumania, whose coun- 
try was destined to be the home of one of the Queen's grand- 
children, a daughter of the Duchess of Edinburgh, came 
to Scotland to see our Queen. Torchlight processions, 
dances, dirmer-parties, and gay gatherings, enlivened by 
her company and her talents, made the time at Balmoral 
a very happy one during her stay. 

In Ireland a serious potato famine again gave the Queen 
the opportunity of showing her compassion for the poor 
people, who suffered chiefly in the western part of the 
country; but the distress was great wherever the root form- 
ed the staple of food. 

India received a fresh acknowledgment of the care with 
which her Empress watched over her interests in the ap- 
jDointment to the Coramander-in-Chiefship at Bombay of her 
soldier son, the Duke of Connaught, whose tenure of com- 
mand was most happily signalized by very many proofs of 
the true and abundant loyalty of the gallant princes, not 
only of the Presidency over which he exercised military 
rule, but also in many other parts of India which he visited. 

326 



THE LAST DECADE OF THE CENTURY 

Our Eastern Empire was also visited by his nephew. 
Prince Albert Victor, alas! too soon to be taken from us. 
The fatal illness which attacked him at Sandringham 
after his return in 1892 put the whole of the Queen's domin- 
ions into mourning. It was a terrible blow to his grand- 
mother, and to the very many who had felt a deep personal 
sympathy for a nature singularly unselfish and upright. 

I give some lines which endeavor to express the sense 
of this loss of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. 

"For marriage promise changed to death, for one 

Young soldier dead: 
For bride, for mother, for dear hopes undone. 

Our tears are shed. 
Half-mast the myriad British Standards float. 
All seas repeat our England's funeral note, 

"Sorrow divine that makes one bond for all 

Hath done this thing. 
No majesty of conquest can make fall 

Tears for a king; 
Yet all are proud, who speak the English tongue. 
To mourn a comrade in this Prince so young. 

"Comrade in memories that can never sleep: 

Of great deeds past; 
Of Her whose reign to-day proud Windsor's Keep 

Sees not the last; 
Her grandson's death shows forth our union's cause. 
The people's heart enthroned in Britain's laws, 

"True type of England's gentleness, farewell! 
Our love must yield 
To Love immortal; and this funeral knell 

In God's great field 
Enrolled thee in His hosts, to be some hour 
A priest in righteousness, a king in power!" 

Princess Marie of Edinburgh was married to the Prince 
of Roumania in 1892, The fine castle on the Danube, of 
HohenzoUern Hechingen, received many guests who went 

327 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

to do honor to the occasion. The place is little known 
to English tourists, but is beautifully situated. The Prince, 
while serving in a Prussian regiment, was suddenly told 
that he had better try the venture of taking possession of 
the crown of Roumania; and, acting on the advice, he 
made the doubtful experiment a signal success. 

Another of the Queen's grandchildren. Princess Mar- 
garet of Prussia, was married to the Prince of Hesse; her 
sister. Princess Sophia, having already become Crown 
Princess of Greece. 

The last decades of the century have been remarkable 
for the magnificence of the gifts presented to the public 
by rich and generous men. The present made to the people 
by Sir Henry Tate, in building the great picture-gallery 
facing the Thames, was marked by the presence of the 
Prince of Wales at the opening, and by speeches delivered 
by Mr. Balfour and Sir William Harcourt. Mr. Carnegie, 
the great steel and iron w^orker of the United States, has 
also astonished the world by the magnificence of his 
contributions in support of the education of the people 
and in the giving of schools and libraries, the assertion 
being that he has spent something like twenty millions. 
A very fine gallery was also presented by Sir Andrew 
Walker to the city of Liverpool, and the gifts made to Lon- 
don for the housing of the poor by Mr. Peabody more than 
deserve the recognition of a statue placed near the Royal 
Exchange. Lord Iveagh and his brother. Lord Ardilaun, 
besides restoring a great church, have also spent vast 
sums on artisan dwellings in Dublin. 

Other magnificent presents were given in order to com- 
plete the building of the Imperial Institute, which was 
fortunate in all except its situation, being rather far from 
the city. It still continues its work in one half of the build- 
ing designed for it, while the other has been accepted by 
the London University as fulfilling all they want, and 
giving adequate space to a teaching body who must have 
technical as well as other schools for the full performance 
of the educational duties which they have undertaken. 

328 



THE LAST DECADE OF THE CENTURY 

An excellent hall provides a meeting-place for the reading 
of papers on all subjects touching the welfare of the Empire. 

The Queen was anxious to show her full participation in 
this acknowledgment of the growth of her Empire beyond 
the seas, and was present at the opening ceremony. The 
occasion was a memorable one, vast crowds assembling 
in the park and along the route, and in their thousands in 
the immediate neighborhood of the Institute. Troops 
and volunteers lined the route from Buckingham Palace 
to South Kensington. The Household Cavalry were 
stationed at various points, battalions of the Guards' 
regiments lined the park, and the Lancers and volunteers 
were also posted in suitable places. 

Sir Frederick Abel, who has been the mainstay and 
unfailing support of the Institute from its first inception 
to its present satisfactory financial condition, met all the 
guests and arranged where they should be placed. The 
Indian princes were received with great enthusiasm. 
Soon the whole of the Queen's family arrived, the Prince 
and Princess of Wales, with Princess May, now betrothed 
to the Duke of York, and her ever-popular mother, the 
Duchess of Teck, meeting with a very hearty greeting. 

The Queen, with her glittering Life Guard escort, arrived, 
and immediately in front of her carriage were the Canadian 
and New South Wales troopers in their field-service uni- 
form. They were wildly cheered by the people, who at 
once realized the full significance of their appearance in 
the imperial cortege. 

The Great Hall was entirely filled with a bright mass of 
uniforms and ladies' dresses. The Queen was escorted 
up the centre by the Prince of Wales, while the audience 
stood. Then, in reply to an address presented to her, 
she said : " I recognize in the Institute a symbol of the 
unity of the Empire. That it may long continue, and 
never cease to flourish, is my earnest prayer. " The Prince 
of Wales made the formal declaration, and then from the 
belfry of the tower came the chime and clang of the joy- 
bells as the Queen returned to her carriage. 

329 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Lord Rosebery's government came into power in 1894, 
and the new Premier quenched the ardent aspirations of 
liis Irish allies by saj^ing that Home Rule would not be 
granted until the predominant partner, meaning England, 
had been convinced of its justice. 

Lord Salisbury came into power again in 1895, on a 
decisive pronouncement of the electors, the issue being 
again the Home Rule question, although the accidental 
vote on which the Ministry resigned was a charge that 
there was not sufficient small-arm ammunition available 
for the army. 

The wedding of two grandchildren of the Queen, Princess 
Alice's eldest son, the Grand Duke of Hesse, to the Duke 
of Edinburgh's daughter. Princess Victoria Melita — the 
second name being a recollection of the Duke's long resi- 
dence at Malta — gave the Queen again the pleasure of 
visiting Coburg, where a long series of festivities took place, 
which were followed by yet another happy betrothal — 
namely, that of Princess Alice's daughter Alix to the heir 
to the Russian throne, the first cousin of the Duke of York. 

The terrible massacres in Armenia, the outbreak in 
Crete, the encouragement given to the Greeks to accept 
the arbitrament of war against Turkey — all brought in 
1895 the ever-recurrent Eastern question most painfully be- 
fore the public. Over one hundred members of the House 
of Commons signed a memorial encouraging the Greeks 
to undertake a campaign, which ended most disastrously, 
and would have again subjected the Hellenes to the rule 
of Turkey had not the Great Powers made it clear that 
they would not suffer Athens again to fall under the domi- 
nation of the Porte. A very plucky resistance made by 
the Greek army only showed the hopelessness of their 
anticipations, for, great as was the horror excited by the 
Armenian massacres, Europe was not yet ready to face 
the far greater slaughter which a general war in the East 
would have inevitably brought about. 

Yet the British Prime Minister declared that we had 
put our money " upon the wrong horse " in backing Turkey 

330 



THE LAST DECADE OF THE CENTURY 

in the middle of the century, and it is unlikely that the 
insincerity with which the Turks made promises of ref- 
ormation will ever be forgiven or forgotten. The Sultan 
had to retire from Crete, and Prince George of Greece be- 
came its ruler. 

But we were fated to keep our powder dry for smaller 
wars. Ashantee, and its capital Coomassie, the centre 
of horrors even greater than those in Armenia, was the 
scene of action for a second expedition to accomplish 
thoroughly a task we had hoped had been concluded by 
Lord Wolseley's conquest in that region. The campaign 
brought renewed grief to the Queen in the fatal ending 
to a fever, contracted in the deadly marches through the 
West African Hinterland, by Prince Henry of Battenberg, 
Unwilling to remain on the active list of the army without 
taking part in its dangers, he volunteered for service. The 
fever did not attack him until he had accomplished a great 
part of the march inland, and he was sent back to the coast 
suffering much, but not in a condition which was regarded 
by the doctors as very serious. After being carried on 
board ship the symptoms gave warning of the end, which 
came in a few days after leaving Cape Coast Castle. 

Prince Henry had been appointed Governor of the Isle 
of Wight, and at Whippingham, where he was laid to rest, 
the Princess erected a beautiful monument, the sarcophagus 
being surmounted by a recumbent statue, and the tomb 
being ornamented at the sides and corners with small 
colunms of the green and white marble found on the island 
of lona — the birthplace of Christianity in these islands — 
a place he was fond of visiting when cruising in his yacht 
among the Hebrides. 

Looking back again to 1893, we must not forget to record 
that the Queen went to her old home at Kensington Palace 
in June to unveil on the eastern front a statue of herself, 
crowned, robed in her coronation attire, with a sceptre in 
her hand — a statue by her fourth daughter. Princess 
Louise. Large stands were erected on each side, and the 
Queen drove up the Broad Walk, and from her carriage — 

331 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

after the figure (which was carved in one piece of Carrara 
stone) had been unveiled — spoke thus : 

" I thank you very heartily for your loyal address, and 
for the kind wishes to commemorate my Jubilee by the 
erection of a statue of myself on the spot where I was 
bom, and lived till my accession. It gives me great pleas- 
ure to be here on this occasion in my dear old home, and to 
witness the unveiling of this fine statue so admirably de- 
signed and executed by my daughter." 

The desire of the people of Kensington with regard to 
this statue was commemorated in the following inscription : 

" In front of the palace where she was bom, and where 
she lived till her accession, her loyal subjects of Ken- 
sington place this statue, the work of her daughter, to 
commemorate fifty years of her reign." 

In the following month the Duke of York's marriage to 
Princess May, who had also been born at Kensington 
Palace, took place in the Chapel Royal, St. James's. 
The King and Queen of the Belgians, the King and Queen 
of Dermiark, the heir to the Russian throne, two of the 
Queen's grandchildren. Prince Henry of Prussia and 
the Grand Duke of Hesse, were among those present. 
Archbishop Benson gave a brief address, and the Queen 
afterwards received a very numerous company at Buck- 
ingham Palace. 

Another happy visit abroad, this time to Florence and 
to Coburg, where she had not been for eighteen years, 
gave the Queen much pleasure, and she was very busy in 
November in helping the poor people who suffered much 
from the floods of the Thames, a recurrent trouble which 
all our engineering has been unable hitherto to avoid. 

Next year her visit abroad was to Darmstadt and to 
Nice, and in the autumn the German Emperor paid a visit 
to take part in the races at the Cowes regatta. 

On June 22, 1897, we celebrated, with the greatest mag- 
nificence, the sixtieth anniversary of the Queen's reign. 
Every colony sent a detachment of troops to lend dignity 
to the occasion, and to prove the universal pride and 



THE LAST DECADE OF THE CENTURY 

love with which she had inspired her people in every 
clime. 

The route this time was to take a far wider sweep than 
that arranged and followed ten years before. The foreign 
representatives, princes, and others were to accompany 
her the whole way on horseback ; the navy was to be fully 
represented by numbers of seamen; the auxiliary forces 
were to take their part with the army in lining the streets, 
and every arm of the service was to be fully represented. 
Never did event more exactly answer the expectations 
of its proposers. The immense length of the procession, 
and its extraordinary variety, delighted the multitudes, 
who had everywhere full opportunity of gratifying their 
loyalty and curiosity at some point or other in the long 
route to St. Paul's, over London Bridge, and so back by 
the south side to Westminster Bridge, and home by the 
Mall. 

At St. Paul's all the steps were occupied by the arch- 
bishops, bishops, clergy, ambassadors, diplomatists, and 
men whose position entitled them to be where the sovereign 
would pause in her journey to give thanks to God for the 
blessings vouchsafed to her. She remained seated in her 
carriage, drawn by eight cream-colored horses, at the foot 
of the steps. Her escort of foreign princes and her own 
family formed in line fronting the doors of the great cathe- 
dral. Lord Wolseley and Lord Roberts, in their uniforms 
of field marshals, took their places to right and left, while 
the Prince of Wales remained close to the carriage. The 
Archbishop offered prayer, and the grand anthem, "We 
praise Thee, God," was sung with very fine effect. 

At the conclusion of the brief service, and as the pro- 
cession again moved off, the Archbishop, like the hearty 
Englishman he is, led three cheers for the Queen. She 
was glad to support the Prince of Wales's proposal that 
this her second Jubilee should be remembered by a 
fund raised to pay the debts of the great hospitals, and 
£750,000 were received in response to the appeal made. 
The Princess of Wales also wrote to the Lord Mayor 

333 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

in favor of the poor of London, and over £300,000 were 
placed at the disposal of those appointed to distribute the 
money. 

The Queen subsequently sent the following message to 
her people : 

" Windsor, July 15, 1897. 

"I have frequently expressed my personal feelings to 
my people, and though, on this memorable occasion, there 
have been many official expressions of my deep sense of 
the unbounded loyalty evinced, I cannot rest satisfied 
without personally giving utterance to these sentiments. 

" It is difficult for me on this occasion to say how truly 
touched and grateful I am for the spontaneous universal 
outburst of loyal attachment and real affection which I 
have experienced on the completion of the sixtieth year 
of my reign. 

" During my progress through London on June 22d this 
great enthusiasm was shown in the most striking manner, 
and can never be effaced from my heart. 

" It is, indeed, deeply gratifying, after so many years of 
labor and anxiety for the good of my beloved country, to 
find that my exertions have been appreciated throughout 
my vast Empire. 

" In weal and woe I have ever had the true sympathy 
of all my people, which has been warmly reciprocated by 
myself. It has given me unbounded pleasure to see so 
many of my subjects from all parts of the world assembled 
here, and to find them joining in the acclamations of loyal 
devotion to myself, and I wish to thank them all from 
the depth of my grateful heart. 

" I shall ever pray God to bless them and to enable me 
still to discharge my duties for their welfare as long as 
hfe lasts. VICTORIA R. I." 

On May 19, 1898, a statesman who had been four times 
the Queen's Prime Minister — namely, Mr. Gladstone — 
died at Hawarden. The memories of his great financial 
services to his country, his great eloquence, his fine char- 

334 



THE LAST DECADE OF THE CENTURY 

acter, and the great hold he had won on the sympathies 
of his countrymen, caused his loss to be most sincerely 
mourned by all who could appreciate earnestness, sym- 
pathy, and grandeur of aim in political efforts. 

The public lying-in-state in Westminster Abbey of Mr. 
Gladstone, as well as the funeral there — soon to be followed 
by that of the loving wife whose devotion to him could 
not be excelled — gave occasion for a very remarkable 
exhibition of public mourning and respect. 

Not long after his death the Queen asked that his 
lovely little granddaughter, Dorothy, should be brought 
to see her at Windsor. Mrs. Gladstone, to whom the 
Queen had written expressing her grief at the sad news 
of Mr. Gladstone's death, was unable to accompany the 
child. 

Full of resolve as the Queen always was to vindicate 
the position of our country, if necessary by the dread 
means of war, the necessity was always abhorred by her, 
and the suffering caused gave her the greatest pain. The 
failure of all attempts to pursue successfully the negotia- 
tions with President Kriiger was a bitter disappointment 
to her, as well as to her people, who hoped that the closing 
years of her reign might be given entirely to peace. But 
this was not to be, and the apparent ignorance of what 
must be the attitude of the British people, and their govern- 
ment, and their sovereign, induced a declaration of war 
and the invasion of Cape Colony and Natal, and caused 
the war which was not fully over even when the Com- 
mander-in-Chief, Lord Roberts, returned to see his sov- 
ereign, after many months of sanguinary battle as well 
as of desultory warfare. 

During all this time the Queen followed with the closest 
attention every movement of her troops, and her wonderful 
memory often enabled her to correct those around her as 
to every detail respecting the places where her officers 
had received wounds, remembering as well the nature of 
the hurt. She was again unwearying in visiting the 
wounded at Netley, and in seeing those who were able to 

335 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

visit her at Osborne or at Windsor. She also went to the 
Herbert Hospital. 

Her courage, which throughout her life was so con- 
spicuous, was never better seen than in the days when 
repeated checks were caused by the strong positions of 
the enemy. She not only never used herself the language 
of doubt, but disliked to hear anything but the language 
of resolute confidence. We had with us, as Mr. Balfour 
said, the conscience of the Empire, and it was a glorious 
satisfaction to her Majesty to see her loyal subjects in 
Australia, New Zealand, the Cape, Natal, and Canada, 
willing to shed their life's blood for the continuance of 
the institutions through which they themselves had grown 
to manhood, and had found freedom in union. 

Among her public appearances in 1899 was the opening 
of the Bristol Convalescent Home. But ceremonies brought 
increasing fatigue. Unable to see very clearly herself 
any print or small writing, she had all telegrams written 
large, and anything printed read to her, but yet continued 
signing all documents with an unfaltering persistency 
which very few at her age could have shown. Music was 
enjoyed as much as ever, for her hearing remained excellent, 
and in December, 1899, she sat in St. George's Chapel, 
Windsor, while Mendelssohn's "Elijah" was performed. 
She also endured the fatigue of a long Drawing-room 
reception, and laid the foundation stone of the new Victoria 
and Albert Museum buildings at South Kensington, 
which are now rising to the westward of the great Roman 
Catholic Church of the Oratory. 

The last year of our Queen's long life saw no abatement 
in the energy with which, despite failing eyesight and 
strength, she showed herself to her people, encouraging 
by her example and presence all that she thought most 
worthy in the movements among them deserving her coun- 
tenance. 

She came to London from Windsor on March 8th in order 
to personally show her gratitude for the efforts made by 
the City in equipping a regiment for her ser\dce in South 

2>Z^ 



THE LAST DECADE OF THE CENTURY 

Africa. At the Temple steps on the Embankment she 
was met by the Lord Mayor, sheriffs, and aldermen. 
The Lord Mayor presented the sword, and said, "Your 
ancient and most loyal City heartily welcomes your Maj- 
esty." She, bowing in response, said, "I wish to thank 
you for all that my City has done." At night her palace 
was serenaded by a vast crowd, and "God save the 
Queen " was sung by many thousands of voices. 

The whole year was occupied in watching with anxiety 
the course of the South African war, the main features 
of which will be well remembered. Troops of every 
nationality under the British flag greatly distinguished 
themselves, and the Queen had been especially pleased 
with the gallantry of the Dublin Fusiliers, who, under 
Sir Redvers BuUer, had suffered terribly in the desperate 
fighting on the Tugela. 

The Queen was determined to thank the Irish herself, 
and intimated to Lord Cadogan, the Lord Lieutenant, that 
she would arrive in Dublin early in April. "The Queen 
is happy to be once more among her Irish people, from 
whom she has again received so warm a welcome." Thus 
she wrote a day or two after. She was much gratified 
by her reception from the thousands who saw her as she 
drove through the streets of the Irish capital, after landing 
at Kingstown. In the harbor the Channel Fleet had met 
and saluted her, and in the evening every vessel was out- 
lined by electric light. 

On the first Saturday thirty-five thousand school-children 
were gathered together in Phoenix Park, the Queen ordering 
that her carriage should be driven at a walking pace. She 
was much amused when a little child cried out, "Shure, 
you're a nice old lady." A party of children from Mayo, 
through some accident, arrived too late, and the Queen at 
once arranged that they should have an interview all to 
themselves the following afternoon. The uniform of the 
Household Cavalry was again seen in the streets of Dublin 
as her Majesty's escort, and nothing could have been more 
cordial and more courteous than the conduct of the people. 

337 



f^ 



VICTORIA R.I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

The Queen was sorry to leave Ireland, which took place 
after a review of the Dublin garrison and the Curragh 
Camp troops in Phoenix Park. It will always remain a 
pleasant memory with the citizens of Dublin that the last 
State visit of the Queen's great reign was paid to them in 
order to show her sympathy with the Irish people and her 
appreciation of the gallantry of her Irish soldiers. 

In July the Queen gave one of those great garden-parties 
at Buckingham Palace which afforded an opportunity 
to many to see her, alas! as it proved for the last time. 
She drove in a low victoria, drawn by two gray horses, 
and wherever she went the gayly dressed guests formed a 
thick hedge so that they might catch a glance of her eyes 
and hear the sound of her voice. She wore spectacles, 
as her sight had become too dim to allow her, without their 
aid, readily to recognize the faces of those with whom she 
spoke. She took tea, as usual, in a tent apart with her 
family and those guests specially surmnoned to speak to her. 

Again a terrible grief was to be hers in the illness and 
death of her second son, the Duke of Edinburgh. Courage- 
ously rallying under the blow, however, she made arrange- 
ments to be represented at the funeral of the King of Italy, 
whom the hand of an assassin struck down about the same 
time at Monza, near Milan. The Duke of Edinburgh was 
buried at Coburg, every detail being reported to the Queen, 
who bore this trial with great fortitude. 

Once more Balmoral and its Highlanders received their 
mistress; once more she had an inspection of a few of 
her troops there, this time the soldiers being those belong- 
ing to a native force of West Africans ; once more she drove 
about visiting the old places and caring for the old people ; 
while all the time the sad tidings of wounds and deaths 
and fever brought the names of her soldiers who had died 
for her Empire in the distant South Africa to her ears. 
But still, in an ever greater degree, was the determination 
of the country shown to finish the task it had taken in 
hand. The general election confirmed the policy of those 
who had made up their minds to assert the right of the 

338 



THE LAST DECADE OF THE CENTURY 

freedom of all from the Zambesi to the Cape from any 
exclusive privilege of oligarchic government. 

Regiments began to return home, and the City had a 
great thanksgiving service at St. Paul's for the battalion 
more immediately connected with London; but by the 
time the Queen again went south it was noticed that she 
was not so strong, that the former punctuality was no 
longer persisted in, and the journey from Scotland tired 
her. Yet she saw at Windsor Sir Redvers BuUer, who 
returned victorious from Natal, and Sir George White, 
the defender of Ladysmith. 

Windsor also saw her welcome the return of her Life 
Guards in the quadrangle of the castle. Then the second 
battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment, returning 
under Colonel Otter, had their turn, marching past the 
Queen's carriage; and, drawing up in close columns of 
companies with the officers in front, they were able to hear 
their sovereign say, " I am very glad to see you here to- 
day, and to express my warm thanks for the admirable 
services rendered in the war by the Canadians." 

A few days afterwards the Queen visited, at the Windsor 
Guildhall, the Irish Exhibition of Home Industries, Lady 
Mayo, the Duchess of Abercorn, and Mrs. Lecky being 
among those who had stalls and from whom the Queen 
made purchases. She stayed an hour, and said she had 
been much pleased and interested. 



CHAPTER XII 

THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

Buckingham Palace — Buckingham House as it used 
to be called — was outside the little town of Westminster, 
which clung to its river bank in the neighborhood of its 
Abbey, and its gardens stretched along the waterway, 
over the present grounds occupied by the Mall and the 
Queen's gardens, in various fields and plots. Mulberries 
were largely planted there in the time of King James, 
who had an idea that the silk industry might be trans- 
planted from China to England. 

There was a house called after Goring, a noted name 
during the wars of the Commonwealth, and the name 
possessed a peerage in the earldom of Norwich. 

The house was burned towards the end of the seven- 
teenth century. The Duke of Devonshire subsequently 
became possessed of it, but it was then only "a neat 
box/' and pleasantly situated among gardens beside the 
prospect of the park and the adjoining fields. It soon 
afterwards was bought by the Duke of Buckinghamshire, 
one of the favorite Ministers of Queen Anne, and he de- 
scribed his house as "a. small distance from London, 
where I can conclude the evening on a deHghtful ter- 
race, free from late visits. The avenues to it are along 
St. James's Park, through rows of goodly elms on the 
one hand and gay flourishing limes on the other — that 
for coaches, this for walking — the Mall lying between 
them. This reaches to my iron palisade, that encom- 
passes a square court, which has in the midst a great 
basin with statues and water-works, and from its en- 
trance rises all the way imperceptibly till we mount to a 

340 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

terrace in front of a large hall, where there is a large 
kitchen thirty feet high, with an open cupola on the 
top, and from a terrace four hundred paces long — the 
wall being low and covered with roses and jessamine — 
are beheld the two Queen's parks and a great part of 
Surrey." 

It was not until 1723 that the Prince and Princess of 
Wales, afterwards George II. and Queen Caroline, offered 
his widow a sum of money for the house. "I answered 
the Princess," she wrote, " that I was under no necessity 
to part with it; yet, when what I thought was the value of 
it should be offered, perhaps my prudence might overcome 
my inclination. If the Prince and Princess prefer much to 
buying outright with its entire contents under £60,000 
it will not be parted with as it now stands, and all his 
Majesty's revenue cannot purchase a place so fit for them 
now for a less sum." Her effigy may still be seen in a 
glass-case at Westminster Abbey. It was not until she 
died that it passed to the reigning family. The old square 
Italian centre path, with colonnades on each side leading 
to wings, something like the arrangement of Clieveden, 
was altered by various other additions, an octagonal library 
being built in 1767 by George III,, where Dr. Johnson was 
introduced to him. 

Many of the Canaletti pictures of Venice and other 
places now at Windsor were then at Buckingham House, 
which was called "dull, dowdy, and decent" — nothing 
more than a large, substantial, respectable-looking brick 
house. During the Gordon riots the King addressed the 
troops quartered about the ground, saying: "My lads, 
my crown cannot purchase you straw to-night, but de- 
pend upon it, I have given orders that sufficient shall be 
here to-morrow before noon. As a substitute for the straw, 
my servants will constantly serve you with a good al- 
lowance of wine and spirits, and I shall keep you com- 
pany myself until morning," which he did, walking in the 
garden and receiving all messages in the riding-house. 

All his children were born there except the eldest. The 

341 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

architect Nash was set to work to prepare new plans in 
George IV. 's time when he was Regent, and all sorts of 
alterations and additions were made, no good plan being 
followed. The whole place was a cobble-work; but in 
1 831 a committee of the House of Commons recommended 
that it should be finished as a royal residence, and the 
work begun by Nash was finished by Blore. 

But the house was never made use of until Queen Victoria 
lived there, when the Marble Arch stood in front of it, and 
there were only three sides of a quadrangle. When the 
new front was built the arch was removed, and in 1852 
a ball-room, a supper-room, and galleries of approach 
were built to the south. Stone was used, but the London 
atmosphere deteriorated the surface of that brought from 
Caen so much that it was painted. The garden west front 
was very much like Nash built it. The State entrance is 
in the same spot as the entrance to the old house was. 
In the centre of the inner court white marble steps and 
columns supported a roof which is too low for good effect, 
but where there is a great deal of space for the arrival and 
departure of company. 

A wide corridor, traversing at right angles the entrance 
hall, gives access to a series of rooms towards the front, all 
handsomely furnished, but rather low in proportion to 
their size. The columns, both in these and in the better- 
proportioned apartments above, are of artificial marble, 
or Scagliola, material which very successfully maintains 
cleanliness from its polished surface, but the artificiality 
of which hardly justified of its being used to represent such 
beautiful natural products, as, for instance, lapis lazuli. 

At the end of this great corridor there is a private stair- 
case on the right, and a grand staircase of white marble 
on the left, giving access to the large reception-rooms 
above. There is a heavy scroll-work balustrade. Indeed, 
the fault of the whole decoration is the ponderous character 
of the ornamentation. A domed glass roof gives light. 
Full-length portraits by Lawrence of George III., Queen 
Charlotte, William IV. and Queen Adelaide, and others, 

342 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

are hung on its walls. A wide corridor opens through 
mirrored doors to a very fine supper-room on the left. 
Farther on is the great ball-room or concert-hall, which 
is one hundred and ninty feet in length, sixty in width, 
and forty-five in height, and where there is a fine organ. 

Returning again to the head of the stairs, and passing 
through a large ante-room, the long picture-gallery is 
entered — a very wide apartment and very well lit for the 
exhibition of pictures, of which it has many, and some 
very remarkable. Especially is this the case in the ex- 
amples from the easels of Rembrandt, Rubens, Hobemar, 
Wolvermans, Cuyp, Ruysdael, Van der Weld, Frank Holls, 
Paul Potter, Jan Stein, and some Italian and other masters 
well worthy of their place. Lit from above this gallery 
divides the old ball-room — which the Queen always used in 
the first years of her reign as a supper-room — from the 
range of large rooms to the south already mentioned. 
The suite of rooms which the Queen and the Prince Consort 
occupied were on the western front, and the new curtain 
wing, or front, towards St. James's, has a number of ex- 
cellently arranged living-rooms. The fault of the part 
of the building containing these apartments, which are 
often given to foreigners, is the want of any fine means 
of access by any well-arranged staircase. In short, Buck- 
ingham Palace, though a useful building, is neither bright, 
cheerful, nor so well arranged as any of the great palaces 
on the Continent. King Leopold's, at Brussels, for in- 
stance, is better arranged, having suites of fine rooms 
more elegantly decorated. Buckingham Palace shares 
the heaviness characteristic of the end of the Georgian 
period, when the people were inclined to take good models 
only to spoil them with overloaded ornamentation and 
somewhat tawdry coloring. 

The Riding School is a very fine one, and it has a room 
from which the Queen used to be able to watch her children 
putting their horses to the leaping bar. In the preparations 
for both the Jubilee processions the horses were practised 
there, with the waving of flags, the cheering of men, the 

343 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

playing of music, and as far as possible the imitation of 
all the sounds they would be called upon to face in the 
presence of the acclaiming populace in the streets. The 
stables are also remarkably fine, and the permanent home 
of the famous "creams/' which, caparisoned in scarlet, 
covered with gorgeous harness, and led by scarlet and 
gold-coated grooms with black velvet jockey -like caps, 
had the privilege of drawing the sovereign to and from 
the Houses of Parliament. 

Windsor Castle has been so often described that we 
need only speak of a few of its lesser-known features. 

"Cavalleria Rusticana" was performed by the Lagos 
Italian Opera Company before the Queen at Windsor in 
November, 1891. The room in which the stage for this 
purpose was placed was one of the small courts of the old 
castle between St. George's Hall on the one side and the 
State apartments looking over the north terrace and 
Eton on the other. When George IV. took it into the rest 
of the building, lighting it by vertical windows in the roof, 
it was made into a commemorative monument to the soldiers 
and statesmen and sovereigns who lived through the time 
of the finish of the great war with France. There, placed 
the highest on one wall, is the portrait of " Brunswick's 
fated chieftain," the Duke whose father had been killed by 
the French, and who, at Waterloo, rushed "into the field 
and foremost fighting fell." Others are full-length State 
pictures of sovereigns in their robes, generals in uniform, 
and one excellent representation of a cardinal is there to 
remind the visitor that whatever goes on in Europe the 
Vatican is never idle. There is another of the Pope who 
reigned at the time. 

The space in the great entrance hall at the back adjoin- 
ing the armory and the old dining-room of Charles II. was 
very ample for the acting troupe. The State rooms are well 
known to the public, who delight in wandering through 
the great spaces. One is filled with trophies of mediaeval 
armor, two more with gorgeous tapestries. Then there 
is the tower where John II. of France was kept a prisoner 

344 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

after Poitiers, while the wonderful collection of Vandykes, 
filling another long apartment, whose windows look out 
on the Norman gateway, show with what zeal the pict- 
ures, gathered by Charles I., and dispersed at the time of 
the Commonwealth, have been gathered again under the 
old roof. Prince Rupert was the Governor of Windsor, 
whose love for art and invention helped to fill the Castle 
with the fine works of the Dutch, the Italian, and the 
German schools. We see the taste of Charles II. 's time in 
the painted ceilings of the room which served him as a 
dining-room, and the later and worse taste which placed 
there a colored window of George III. In the more elaborate 
painting on the ceilings of the tapestry halls we have the 
ceilings again of the Restoration period. 

The library is not so well known, for the set of rooms 
occupied by Queen Elizabeth, and some time afterwards 
used as dwelling-rooms, were thrown by Wyatt, the architect 
employed by George IV., into one connected gallery, the 
ancient apartments forming recesses crowded with books. 
In one of these Queen Anne was sitting when she received 
a brief note written in pencil from the field of Blenheim 
wherein the Duke of Marlborough told her that Marshal 
Tallard, the French commander, was a prisoner of war in 
his coach, and that her Majesty had obtained a great 
victory. 

In this part of the Castle, too, just over the Norman 
gateway, is a house reserved to the use of one of the ojB&cers 
of the household, and through this chamber the portculhs 
passed; the walls are unchanged since the days when it 
was used as a prison. This was not an unusual dcwstina- 
tion of a portcullis chamber, for the gate-house at Edin- 
burgh Castle was used for a similar purpose, the prisoners 
who were condemned to die on the morrow being obliged 
to pass their last night within its precincts. Many of the 
prisoners have written their names on the stones, in the 
house at Windsor, that of a gentleman of the name of 
Fortescue (" Fortescutum " or "Strong Shield") being 
specially legible. 

345 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

Over the way, in the interior of the court, is the entrance 
to the great stone stair which leads up to the apartments 
in the Round Tower. Down this arched entrance a short 
cannon frowns from a narrow embrasure so arranged as to 
command the stairs. Within the northern circumference 
of the ancient keep a most remarkable well exists. With 
Norman masonry facing it round near its mouth, it is 
carried down deep through the chalk till excellent water 
below is reached at a great depth. It is not likely to have 
been made before the Norman time, and is probably a 
mark of the occupation of the place by William the Con- 
queror. Some ancient timber-work in the interior of the 
keep is said to be the remains of a platform with a pent-roof 
over it, where the knights sat with their backs against 
the wall, and were served from the interior space when 
they were at meat, sitting round the tower in memory of the 
Arthurian heroes of the Round Table. The centre court 
was at one time covered in, and an armory arranged under 
the roof, but it is now again open. The dwelling-rooms are 
all around, rising in two stories, the height of the walls, 
with the heavy battlements above, having been again the 
work of George IV. 's architect. 

A walk round these highest ramparts gives a magnif- 
icent view of the Thames winding along between the 
ancient borough and the collegiate village of Eton. The 
stream loses itself to the right in the windings that take 
it past the elm-wooded playing-fields of the great college, 
and, in front, stretches onward towards the blue ridge 
which marks the line of the heights of Clieveden and Tap- 
low. Here in Mr. Grenfell's avenue, a tumulus lately 
opened showed a skeleton of a Norse viking in his gold- 
laden robe with a great golden double clasp set with six 
Oriental carbuncles at the breast, and there were light 
green-colored glass goblets by his side. 

Farther to the left the horizon is bounded by the woods 
of St. Leonard's Hill, and then again a great expanse of 
the Home Park and the Long Walk with its league-long 
avenue of elms of the time of Charles II. Still farther on 

346 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

are Cooper's Hill, and the flats at Runnymede, where 
the river is just visible, as well as the place where John 
signed Magna Charta. And then sweeping on to com- 
plete the panorama, and to get back to the point where 
we started, the meadows near Staines where the Saxon 
kings had a hunting - lodge, and then the flats of the 
Thames valley over which the smoke of London can be 
dimly discerned in the distance; and again leftwards a 
spire, five miles off, showing the church where Gray wrote 
his immortal Elegy in a Country Churchyard. 

Beneath your feet you see, between the river as it flows 
down from Maidenhead and your standing - place, the 
roof of St. George's Chapel and the towers and walls of 
the Lower Ward — ancient buildings renewed, but rising 
from their old foundations. Facing the town are three 
great semicircular bastion towers, and beyond, on the 
south side, are the gateway built by Henry VIII. and the 
row of towers and houses in the Lower Ward opposite to 
the chapel, which are the headquarters of the old pen- 
sioners called the Knights of Windsor, with the Lieutenant's 
Tower and Winchester Tower almost beneath your feet, 
formerly connected by a fortified wall and gateway, and 
still marking, with a low abutment, the separation of the 
Middle Ward from that where the clergy had their head- 
quarters. 

Then, turning again to the eastward, to the more regular 
Upper Ward, an enclosure made by Edward III. and the 
old place of jousts and tourneys, is St. George's Hall on 
the left, and nearest on the right the lofty battlement under 
which James I. of Scotland lived for nearly eighteen years 
when arrested after being thrown bj^^ a storm on the English 
coast near Newcastle. He was on his way to the French 
Court, and Henry IV. of England kept him more as a guest 
than as a prisoner, the countries being at peace at the 
time. It was from the window of this "Devil's" Tower 
that he saw, walking in the garden of the dry moat beneath 
the Round Tower, the lady who afterwards became his 
queen, Jane Beaufort Henry's cousin. From this tower 

347 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

and St. George's Hall, in parallel lines, the buildings 
sweep on until they cross squarely to complete the court, 
or ward. 

Now the memories become more recent as we look at 
them. We see the imier side of the court lined by the great 
corridor by which George IV. so greatly improved the 
comfort of the palace. The corridor is the main street, 
so to speak, whereon all the rooms in constant use by the 
Queen's family open, and is in itself a museum of art. 
Cabinets contain porcelain, models of all that is best in 
the work of Sevres and Dresden's famous pottery. There 
are also busts of all the great men of modem history, as 
well as of members of the family. These are ranged on 
each side. The windows were draped with scarlet until 
recently changed to a darker maroon-like color. There 
are pictures by Canaletto and Zuccharelli; landscapes by 
Loutherberg, of battles and reviews ; portraits by Hogarth, 
one a picture of Garrick and his wife, and another of the 
Mall in the days directly after the '45 ; others are by Law- 
rence, of Pitt and Sir Walter Scott, and Eldon and Wellesley. 
There were also memorial pictures of events in the royal 
family, examples of Wilkie, and many another. The oc- 
casional necessity of waiting in this corridor, therefore, 
is never a hardship, but always a luxury. 

The Queen's own apartments were in the corner of the 
tower facing south and east. Adjoining these are the 
White Drawing-room and two large rooms occupying the 
whole of two of the great towers and the space behind 
their " curtain " walls, and they look upon the east terrace 
and terminate in the White Dining-room. In this room 
there is a wonderful silver-gilt wine cooler which was 
made for George IV. after a model designed by Flax- 
man. 

At the bend in the great corridor on the inner side of 
the quadrangle is the dining-room, or " Oak Room," which 
the Queen always used unless the party was very large. 
It is ornamented with two fine Gobelin tapestries, a present 
from Louis Philippe, and has panels of the Princess of 

348 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

Wales and the other daughters-in-law^ the pictures being 
three-quarter length. 

It was just outside this room in the corridor that the 
Queen used to sit after dinner and talk to her guests when- 
ever she did not go to the drawing-room, and in recent 
years the drawing-room was rarely visited. When the 
audiences were over she would retire along the passage 
which led by a bridge over the double stair to her own 
rooms, while all who had been the guests at her table 
would join the members of the household and others who 
had dined in the larger room. Here a few years ago a 
very fine picture of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of 
Connaught in uniform and on horseback, riding through 
the Aldershot country with a Highland regiment moving 
in line on the side of the picture, was placed. It is an 
excellent example of the art of M. Detaille. 

Of all the great palace residences of Europe, Windsor 
must be considered the finest. Its wonderful park and 
beautiful neighborhood and splendid situation above its 
historic river, its nearness to a mighty city, and its entire 
freedom from smoke or any other drawback often felt 
near a great town, give it advantages unmatched by other 
well-known palaces. Since the days when she used to 
make her riding excursions in its park, and from the time 
of her great sorrow, the Queen never enjoyed residing at 
it so much as she did her stay at other places. For it is 
not so easy to get at once into private ground, and she 
preferred to do a great deal of her work out-of-doors, liking 
thus to enjoy the coolness of the air while busily engaged 
in writing. To this end she loved to have little rooms 
prepared at Frogmore, at the great kitchen garden, and at a 
cottage which Queen Adelaide had built. In these work 
was done in privacy, and the multifarious business always 
coming before her was quietly considered and endless 
despatches read. Work began immediately after breakfast 
with the reading of papers and documents sent by Minis- 
ters, and when the walk or drive was taken at twelve it 
was never allowed to last beyond one o'clock. There was 

349 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

always an hour before luncheon, when writing was again 
resumed. This was never left off for very many hours, 
and often the labor of correspondence had to be continued 
until far beyond midnight. During her walks the Queen 
was always accompanied by two or three of her dogs, for 
whom a charming home was provided during the years of 
her early wedded life. Among her favorites were Scotch 
collies, German badger hounds, Scotch terriers, Russian 
sheep-dogs, Italian spitzes, pugs, and English terriers. 
There "every dog had his day," none were spoiled, and 
all were happy. 

The Queen often worked in the open air under two fine 
ilex-trees in the grounds of Frogmore, not far from where 
her husband and mother rested in the fine burial chapels 
she had built. The Queen had inscribed above the portal 
of the beautiful mausoleum which she had built for the 
Prince the wish that she might rest with him with whom 
she had lived in such perfect love. His figure, carved 
in white marble by Marochetti, the head slightly inclined 
on one side, and draped in the flowing Garter robes, had a 
space left for another statue on the gray and polished stone. 
This was to be filled by the beautiful white marble figure 
of the crowned wife, with her face turned towards his, and 
sculptured also by the same hand. Four great kneeling 
angels, with mighty wings, in bronze, the calm of whose 
countenances expresses well the peace and repose of the 
place, completed the outline of the monument in the centre 
of the floor. 

The roof, at a great height, carried up from octagonal 
walls, is painted with golden stars. Windows give a good 
light from the highest part of the building, which below 
has its inner walls pierced on four sides by great arches 
admitting to an outer corridor, which circles past square 
recesses or transepts, the ground plan thus forming a short- 
armed, equal-sided cross with a central circle. 

The painting and colored marble in very rich harmony 
cover the interior of the whole building, whose outer ap- 
pearance is simple. The rounded heads of the windows 

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THE FOUR GENERA'l'IONS 

Taken in 1S94, at White Lodge, Richmond Park, on the occasion of the baptism of the 
eldL-si child ni H.R.H. the Duke of York 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

give a Byzantine look, heightened outside by the green 
of the copper roof. The mausoleum of the Duchess of 
Kent has a dome roof of copper, and rising on its pilasters, 
above balustrated terraces and steps, has a very graceful 
appearance, while both mausoleums are entirely surround- 
ed by groves of evergreens. 

The Queen's seaside property at Osborne was first bought 
with the idea of building upon it a comparatively small 
house where good air might be enjoyed, the navy watched 
by its mistress, and excursions made to Portsmouth and 
Plymouth to take part in ceremonies in which the naval 
service was interested. It was gradually found, however, 
that the number of persons to be entertained, and the 
convenience of the place for the exercise of hospitality not 
only to the officers and men of the fleet, but also to strangers 
from abroad, necessitated the addition of other rooms 
both for reception and habitation. 

The old house belonging to the previous owners was not 
fortunately placed, and was in bad condition. This was 
pulled down, and advantage taken of a wide chine, or 
hollow, leading up from the bay, to begin the new house 
about a quarter of a mile distant from the shore, conmiand- 
ing a charming view of the twin slopes falling to the bay, 
and covered with oak-wood and copse, with the line of the 
Hants shore bounding the blue Solent a few miles away. 
The soil was chiefly gravel, with a good deal of clay in 
various parts, a substance which made the embanking 
of some of the seaward, shore a matter of difficulty. The 
chief means taken to prevent the sliding of the banks was 
a thick planting of maritime pine and other fir. Quantities 
of Lambert pine, and that known under the name of 
insignis, and a multitude of other ornamental trees and 
shrubs, especially arbutus, were planted under the direc- 
tion of the Prince Consort, who took the greatest pleasure 
in the arrangement of the new buildings and grounds. 

Both the lower and the upper of these terraces stretched 
from slope to slope across the head of the chine. They 
have fountains, and above them, in the centre of bright 

351 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

flower-beds, are placed statues in bronze and vases to 
hold yet more flowers. 

The building which rose above these terraces has two 
great Italian square towers, one for a clock and the other 
so arranged that signallers can watch the coming and 
the going of ships, and have a view extending as far 
as the forts off Portsmouth Harbor, eleven miles away. 
Between the towers is a massive three-story, flat-roofed 
Italian block, fireproof on every floor. There is a covered 
corridor over the second story carried up by an arched 
and open colonnade. 

This connected the main block with another separate 
building, also of three stories, having a bowed or semi- 
circular projection seaward. This was the portion design- 
ed for her Majesty's private use, and contained on the 
ground floor dining-room, drawing-room, and billiard- 
room, the last two being in one apartment, one half being 
set at right angles to the other. The Council Room for 
the reception of Ministers is of moderate size in the centre 
of the main block. This main mass of building has 
behind it and parallel to it another of nearly equal size, 
the westward ends of both being connected by a corridor, 
and again above that there is a colonnade. Thus, al- 
though from the sea only one front appears, the approach 
from the land side presents the house as consisting of 
two sides of a court-yard, and the prolongation of one side 
of that court by a great wing rising to the southeast. 

The Queen's own rooms looked southward, over the 
terrace gay with its beds of scarlet geraniums, its little 
clumps of shrubs, the fountain with a kneeling female 
figure in the centre, water dripping from the wide granite 
basin raised above the lower pool into which it ultimately 
fell. Her sitting-room looked straight out seaward, a 
large bow window giving a view in all directions over the 
terrace below, over the broad, straight gravel walk leading 
down between the slopes, with its margins adorned with 
standard evergreens, trees cut into cupola-shaped tops, 
till it passes from view down among the arbutus and 

352 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

pine and other evergreens, which grow among the oak- 
trees, to the shore of Osborne Bay beyond. Under these 
windows her Highland pipers played every morning. 

On the left, the slope rises to a plateau bordered at a 
distance of about one hundred and eighty yards from the 
house, with more pines, and a little wood called the Ladies' 
Wood, on the margin of which, looking seaward, was 
erected a fancy cottage which had served the Queen as a 
pavilion at the great Agricultural Show at Windsor. The 
level lawn to the northwest is bordered on the left with 
an artificial mound, on which is the reservoir supplying 
the house, while beyond are open fields, the paradise of 
the golf player, terminated by another depression which 
is the dividing-line between the Queen's property and that 
belonging to the grounds of Norris Castle, whose woods 
intercept the view of Cowes. On the west side of the 
house there is an avenue of ilex formerly alternated with 
aracaria, planted by the Prince in a broad avenue leading 
to the entrance lodge at the head of what is now called 
York Avenue, which descends to East Cowes and the 
banks of the Medina River. The evergreen thickets and 
shrubberies, and the fresh look of the grass even in winter, 
always draw admiration from the stranger coming at 
that season from the Continent; and indeed it would be 
possible in the Isle of Wight to have evergreen forests of 
ilex and even of cork trees, and to procure verdant shades 
which, except in snow time, would never betray the pres- 
ence of winter. 

Another wing was added to the house after the marriage 
of Princess Beatrice, for it had become evident that when 
French and German fleets came, as they did, with large 
numbers of officers, there was no room large enough 
wherein to entertain them. A tent of great size was at 
first made to do duty, but, with our climate, could not 
insure adequate comfort for the Queen's guests during 
the prevalence of southwest storms, which are fond of 
exhibiting their power in the Isle of Wight even during 
the hot months of summer. 

353 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

The new wing possessed a very fine room, decorated 
in Indian style, with pure white plaster, and with teak 
wood. The whole interior arrangements of this hall were 
executed under the superintendence of Ram Singh, a 
pupil in the famous school of art established under the 
guidance of the father of Mr. Kipling, who has obtained 
so great and so just a fame as the singer of the later years 
of the empire under Queen Victoria. 

It is pleasant while we cast the stone upon the cairn 
of our dear Queen to look back upon those few years after 
Princess Beatrice's marriage when she felt herself able to 
take more part in the little gayeties which made life more 
cheerful for her. The various alliances of her children 
on the Continent gave her new interest in the ever-ex- 
panding circle of relationships made by their settling in 
homes on the shores of the Danube, in Roumania, and, 
nearer, at Darmstadt, or on the Main, or, as in the case 
of Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, married to the Prince 
Hohenlohe-Langenburg, at Strasburg. 

The journeys made to attend their weddings, the re- 
newed recollections of the old German home Ufe, of which 
she had heard so much in younger days from Prince 
Albert, mingled pleasantly for her with the continual 
round of duty at her own homes ; while the time spent in 
Italy gave a still greater change, and awakened interest in 
subjects historical and political, with the novelty of per- 
sonal laiowledge of the actors in the life of Southern 
Europe, and of scenes associated with historical memories 
of the great ancestry of the Italian people. 

In looking back upon these times as a part of her long 
life, they fall on the mind's eye like the after-glow which 
comes upon the Alps, for when sunset has faded with its 
brightest tints from their snows, and all for a while is 
cold and gray, a paler but beautiful glow of rose color 
again lights them for a short time before the dusk deepens 
into night. 

At Balmoral she again attended the dances held in the 
hall, decorated with Highland targets, battle-axes, and 

354 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

plaids, and the heads of deer. She was also present from 
time to time at the Braemar gatherings, where she took 
keen interest in the sports. 

At Osborne she incessantly took the greatest personal 
trouble, and showed the liveliest interest, in the arrange- 
ments for the tableaux, or representations, by the house 
party, of famous scenes in pictures, Meissonier's " Quarrel 
Scene," as well as some of Gustave Dore's compositions, 
being very successfully rendered. These little entertain- 
ments were at first held in the Council Room, but after 
the Indian Hall was built large audiences assembled 
before a wider stage. The children in the house, as well 
as the ladies and gentlemen of the household, became 
important actors and actresses, and the Queen always 
liked them to keep on the dress in which they had ap- 
peared until the reception of the guests, which was always 
concluded with a supper, was over. 

All, indeed, was the revival of the old English country 
life, and especially at Christmas - time, when everybody 
in the Queen's employment had the old-fashioned good 
cheer. Every one received something as a memorial of 
their gracious mistress, and wherever she was she took 
care, if it was at all possible, to be present at the distri- 
bution of her gifts. Sometimes it was on Christmas Eve, 
sometimes on the day itself, but all the aged and infirm 
were assembled that presents might be made to them, 
and given by her own hands. 

Then there were all the servants to consider in the same 
way, and sometimes to the number of nearly three hun- 
dred if the Court was at Windsor. The Queen chose the 
gifts with careful thought for the wants of each. A 
lighted tree, with snow - laden branches, appeared as a 
centre around which the presents were arranged. These, 
however, were too numerous to be grouped in one place, 
and had to be spread over long tables. Then in another 
room another Christmas-tree was placed, where other sou- 
venirs awaited the ladies and gentlemen of the Court. 
Thus all were thought of and gratified, before the Queen 

355 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

allowed herself to devote time to family affections, about 
which most people think first and foremost at such times. 

At six o'clock in the evening came the hour when the 
family and immediate guests staying with the Queen 
were to have their turn. A large room was reserved for 
them, and they all entered it following her Majesty. 
There they saw a row of separate tables, each covered 
with a white cloth, and stretching right and left of the 
lighted tree, which was full of what used in those days 
to be called French and German bonbons. It was to 
the tables that attention was turned, for each member of 
the family or guest had a separate little table, and on this 
were laid out the remembrances sent from far and near. 

The Queen's table was inspected first, and each of her 
guests or children pointed out to her that which was his 
or her gift, and many things were sent by persons who 
were absent in other parts of England, or by friends or 
kinsfolk abroad. The number of gifts for the Queen 
and Prince were always great, and she always took the 
keenest pleasure in viewing and examining those especially 
intended for herself. Then she would turn, and make 
a round of the other tables on which the articles were laid 
out, the name of the recipient and donor being inscribed 
on cards. The thanks offered the Queen for her con- 
tributions gave her as much pleasure as the offerings 
made to herself. Then, after a time, the rest of the Court 
were invited to enter, and the exhibition of the lovely 
objects was generally admired. 

Music would follow the dinner, at which a wonderful 
baron of beef was placed on the side table — not quite a 
whole ox, but the greater part of one. There was usually 
a boar's head sent from Germany by the Duke of Coburg 
or some other relative, and there was a mighty pie, the 
interior of which held I do not know how many woodcocks 
from Ireland, and another great game pie into whose 
mysteries it would be profane to inquire. 

On Christmas Day itself there was a beautiful service, 
with the choristers of St. George's Chapel to sing the 

356 



THE QUEEN'S HOMES 

lovely carols, of which the Queen was always very fond. 
Then came the visit to the people who deserved notice, 
afterwards the lighted tree, and a fresh inspection of 
the gifts. Following this there was often music, as when 
Mendelssohn came with his choir to give " AthaHe. " And 
so the stately cheer went on, work and hospitality ming- 
ling with the family happiness. As it was in the early 
days, so the customs were continued as far as possible; 
but, alas ! how many changes, how many old faces, came 
to be missing, how many honored ones could no more be 
seen! But there was an abundance of young faces, whose 
merriment cannot be marred by any such thoughts. It 
was in children that the Queen took delight. Though 
her own share in joy might be small, yet she watched 
with sympathy the enjoyment of all others, and in the 
observance of the festival she kept to what her husband 
did. This was always good in her eyes. As he ordered 
things, so she desired that they might be fulfilled. He 
was no niggard in anything, and his wholesome discipline 
and the rein he gave to pleasure remained the ideal of 
his widow to the last, and in unselfish thought for others 
she found her best reward. 

One of the best pleasures we can have is to keep a family 
and its connections together in harmony and well-doing. 
Christmas festivals give an opportunity to do this, and it 
was always the Queen's wish, and a wish that found 
fulfilment in success, to make her family life an example 
to her countrymen. Her lifetime was, as far as she was 
able to influence it, that of which the Christmas-tree may 
be thought to be a symbol — namely, stanch and strong 
and bright with lights to gladden the grateful faces of 
children and children's children forming the family circle 
around the Christmas-tree at Windsor or at Osborne. 

Returning for a moment to our description of the Queen's 
seaside home, we note that southeastward of Osborne, 
with its appurtenances and offices and outhouses beyond, 
further belts of oak and Scotch fir form a plantation de- 
signed to show the mildness of the climate. These are 

357 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

close to an ancient Elizabethan abode. In the days of 
the Tudors it belonged to the Bishopric of Winchester, 
and is called Barton. The acquisition of this was a very- 
necessary addition to the Osborne estate, lying as it did 
almost within the grounds, and its possession enabled 
the house party to have excellent skating in hard winters 
on a piece of water in an orchard-clad little valley. 

The Queen could be seen almost every afternoon be- 
tween half-past three and five o'clock driving in an open 
carriage drawn by her gray horses, and preceded by an 
outrider, and accompanied by an equerry or two on horse- 
back, visiting Newport, Ryde, and the various places in 
the neighborhood. Previous to this, in the morning she 
always took a walk between twelve and one accompanied 
by some of the family, and followed by two servants. 
Very often she visited the families of those in her service, 
or inspected her home farm, which is close to Barton. 
Or, again, she would spend a little time either in the morn- 
ing or in the evening at a favorite place not far from the 
old bishop's dwelling, where a house, in the likeness of 
a Swiss cottage, with projecting eaves and a gallery run- 
ning round above the ground floor, had been made into 
a little museum of curiosities, collected by herself and 
by the Prince, or by her children — a collection which 
became in time so large that another ornamental wooden 
building had to be erected so that they might be better 
seen. They comprised objects from all lands, collected 
during the visits of the Princes to the Colonies and foreign 
shores, and they made this building a little school of his- 
tory, archaeology, and zoology. 

The excellence of the houses the Queen built on her 
estate to insure the comfort of everybody in her employ- 
ment was one of the first cares of herself and the Prince. 
Her people were, indeed, well housed before she herself 
had entirely finished her own dwelling. It was always 
her aim and object that every one, from the laborer to 
the head of some estate department, should be well cared 
for while in her service. 

358 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE PASSING OF THE QUEEN 

Though Christian faith may comfort sorrow, a funeral 
is always inexpressibly sad in the solemn journey to the 
tomb with one whom we have loved, and whose soul we 
would fain believe has gone to await in peace the eternal 
enjoyment of our Creator's presence. There is so great a 
shrinking from the recollection of the parting we have 
witnessed between body and spirit, there is so keen a 
pain, that we would resent all intrusion and would wish 
to endure our grief alone. But when that grief is shared 
by many, and the respect and love we bore to the dead 
has been felt also by all our countrymen, we must bear 
not only with acquiescence but with pride the knowledge 
that the public feel our loss to be theirs as well. Sorrow, 
like love, may be inclined to be selfish, but it may be good 
that in loving a great life we should throw open wide the 
doors of the house of mourning, and seek to feel some 
solace in the thought that we are not alone in our judg- 
ment of the dead. Still, for us the blank may be a loss, 
telling each day on the relations of life, while with the 
stranger it must be only an incident Hke others in his 
existence. 

Such thoughts may have moved those who gathered 
in the Queen's beautiful home in the Isle of Wight after 
her death. All who had served her in recent years, all 
who had known her go out and in among them, who had 
dwelt on her land, the cottagers who worked her fields, 
the men who attended to her daily wants, the women 
and servants whom she treated so well, who had become 
friends as well as attendants — these all mourned with a 

359 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

bitter mourning. The Duchess of Cleveland wrote that 
she, her bridesmaid, hoped to have gone before her, and 
grieved to be her survivor. The Ministers who had served 
her in both parties in the State received the news, which 
seemed to come so suddenly and so strangely, as the 
announcement of an event which struck, as with a per- 
sonal blow, the sense of each. For so long a time had 
Britain's Queen been the head and representative of the 
great Imperial State they served, that it appeared unreal 
that there could be so great a change in what had en- 
dured for so long past the memory of all men concerned 
in public affairs. She, through whose hands all great 
affairs had passed; she, who, ever loyal to the unwritten 
Constitution, had made that Constitution more defined 
than many that are written by her life-long usage and 
practice and example; she, who had never shrunk from 
the daily task of learning the movements in public feeling, 
and the measures by which her Ministers proposed to 
meet the needs of the hour ; she, who had ever given advice 
when desired, or when she deemed it her duty to do so, 
with an unwavering sagacity, with the advantage of a 
memory tenacious and stored through the valuable lessons 
of experience; she, whose judgment had ripened with 
the long years, and whose way of conveying her opinion 
had never lacked in tact or knowledge of men — the wom- 
an who was sovereign, and as sovereign was thorough 
woman, could now no more be heard or seen. Her place 
was void in the centre of her Empire. Her dominions, 
commonwealths, her States and provinces over sea, would 
know that the mother of those who loved to live under 
the triple crosses of her flag had been lost to them. No 
such natural death, occurring at so great an age, could 
have in past times awakened such sorrow as that now 
honestly and heartily expressed. It was because through 
all lands the very greatness of her people, their very free- 
dom from all undue restraint, had made her life better 
known to them than that of many of their own relatives, 
that the news, "The Queen is dead," seemed so unreal. 

360 



THE PASSING OF THE QUEEN 

There had also been so Httle warning even for those 
nearest to her. "Some Httle wildering of a tired brain" 
had been marked with anxiety, but hope always came to 
restore confidence in the strength of heart which had 
beat on so regularly that passing ailments had gone, to 
leave little trace of their passage. There had been mo- 
ments of depression during the last stay at Balmoral; 
the weather had been cold and gray and heavy, and the 
Queen had not been able to enjoy her stay as usual. She 
had felt unwell after her return to Windsor, where the 
very size and stateliness of the Castle appeared to oppress 
her, and she felt the burden of having to talk to many 
visitors. 

Yet all was still done with that unfaltering courage 
which could not yield to any weakness. But the hours 
were at last not so punctually observed. There was 
increasing uncertainty as to whether the Queen would 
appear at lunch or dinner. She was told by the doctors 
that she must consent to consider how to save her strength, 
and that for a while she ought to lead the life of an invalid! 
She must not write so much, she must do nothing to bring 
on unnecessary fatigue. For the first time she did not 
write herself the good wishes for Christmas and New 
Year which she was wont to send to each member of her 
family. The despatches were all read to her. She was 
resolved not to abstain from inviting those who ought to 
have an interview on any public business. They came, 
and there was nothing in her speech that betrayed any 
change. It was observed that her eyesight had become 
very dim, but she heard all that was said, and answered 
promptly with all the old kindness and judgment and 
gentleness. 

Instead of holding her after-dinner talk with her guests 
in the corridor outside the Oak Dining-room, she was 
wheeled in her chair to the White Drawing-room, and 
sat there near the table to listen to any music played on 
the piano, or to call up those she desired to speak to. All 
this was as before. The time at which she retired was the 

361 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

same, and when the day fixed for the departure to Osborne 
arrived, those who had been told by the Scotch servants 
and others, who had watched her at Balmoral, that she 
was "failing/' were glad to see the smile still upon her 
face as they took leave of her. When she entered her 
carriage only a few said to themselves they feared it might 
be the last time. A gangway was arranged at the car- 
riage porch under the Oak Room for her to walk with the 
help of the arm of her Indian scarlet-robed servant to 
her seat, and have the plaids "happed" around her by 
the Highlanders, and be driven to the station by the gray 
horses. That was her passing from Windsor. 

The journey to the Isle of Wight fatigued her greatly, 
although, as a rule, railway travelhng did not affect her. 
Yet, again, at Osborne she saw Lord Roberts twice, and 
nothing in manner, look, or conversation betrayed the 
failing power of the brain. Indeed, any failure of memory 
was only noticed momentarily by those who were with 
her until the last few days of her life. Then, on one sad 
morning, there was serious alarm, for there was a thicken- 
ing of speech and loss of power, and the Prince of Wales 
left London, on a message being sent, and, hurriedly cross- 
ing to Osborne, found that Sir James Reid, the Queen's 
able and devoted physician, was very anxious. Other 
members of the family were sent for, until the house was 
full of sorrowful watchers, and Sir James Reid and Sir 
Douglas Powell, famous for his skill, could give no com- 
fort. The Queen recognized her children, naming them 
each, and they were with her to the end. 

Her eldest grandson, the German Emperor, left Berlin 
as soon as the bad news reached him, and hurried to Os- 
borne. The Duke of Connaught had been with him at 
the German Imperial capital, where the two hundredth 
year of the existence of the Prussian monarchy was being 
celebrated with magnificent pomp and circumstance. 
The great pageants by which the German people are wise 
enough to commemorate the events affecting their na- 
tional existence — thereby giving lessons in patriotism 

362 



THE PASSING OF THE QUEEN 

and expressing a just pride in the heroic deeds of ancestors 
to the youth of their country — were in full progress. The 
festivities of State were following each other in splendid 
succession. The Emperor commanded they should cease, 
for his sorrow was also the sorrow of his nation. He 
broke off all the gorgeous ceremonies, and left instantly 
with his uncle to attend our sovereign in her illness. The 
English people, as well as his own countrymen, felt to 
their hearts' core the love and sympathy he thus showed. 
If one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, it is 
doubly thus when the kindred Teutonic races see the 
holy bonds of family love revered, honored, and observed. 

The Emperor was with the Queen to the last, and, despite 
his own great cares, remained with her and his English 
relatives until the final scene at Frogmore Mausoleum 
was over. He sent also for his eldest son, the Crown 
Prince, and for his brother, Prince Henry, who came 
with a German squadron to take part in the last sad cere- 
mony. Queen Victoria died, with many of her children 
and grandchildren around her, at 6.35 in the evening of 
January 22, 1901. 

With the commencement of a new reign, cares of State 
came forthwith upon her successor. It was necessary 
for King Edward VII. to leave early the next morning for 
London to meet his Privy Council, and formally take over 
the inheritance that had come to him. He had to prove 
at orjce the resolve to tread in his mother's footsteps, to 
leave no task of sovereignty undone, whether of ceremonial 
or of those duties and labors of which ceremonial marks 
the culmination and stamps with the State's approval 
the result of service rendered to the realm. The fine feat- 
ures, the gray hair, the head that had always thought 
and wrought for the nation, lay with a bridal veil and a 
widow's cap, like a piece of beautiful carved ivory, on 
the bed which was now no longer one of struggle and of 
pain. "Her body rests in peace, her soul lives for ever- 
more." 

The functions of monarchy had to be fulfilled, as she 

363 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

would have wished. In London the train carrying the 
new monarch was awaited by dense crowds in black, who 
silently filled the sides of the roadway between Victoria 
station and Buckingham Palace. At St. James's Palace 
the next morning, the Privy Councillors, to the number of 
over a hundred, had already assembled, wearing uniform. 
There also, according to usage, were the Lord Mayor and 
his Councillors. The King entering, forthwith delivered 
his touching speech, saying that he desired his title to be 
Edward VII., leaving the name of Albert to be borne alone 
by his father in history, who had been so justly named 
" Albert the Good." The oath for the maintenance of the 
Presbyterian religion in Scotland was taken with hand 
uplifted according to Northern custom, and then one by 
one the Privy Councillors knelt and kissed hands, after 
taking the oath of allegiance. 

Then, when the assembly had dispersed, all arrange- 
ments had to be made for the bringing of the Queen to 
the place of her last rest, and much had at once to be ar- 
ranged. Already it was known that the Kings of the 
Belgians, of Portugal, and of Greece, the heirs to the 
thrones of Russia and Denmark, and Italy and Germany, 
with many other princes and representatives of foreign 
powers, would come to show the veneration in which 
the memory was held of her who had now gone to her 
home, as the Germans beautifully express, in one word, 
their faith that the dead only depart homeward. 

The mournful ceremonies had necessarily to extend 
over three days. The first stage, from Osborne to Ports- 
mouth, gave the navy an opportunity of rendering the 
last honors; then, secondly, the procession through Lon- 
don, where the army could line the path, roads, and streets 
through which the funeral cortege should pass, and then 
the Windsor Church service; and on the final day the 
placing of the Queen in the tomb at Frogmore. 

All was splendidly achieved in the given time, and 
before the end of the first week in February the visitors 
from the Continent were able to return, their mission being 

364 



THE PASSING OF THE QUEEN 

fulfilled. Nothing could have been more in consonance 
with the desire of the Queen that the feelings of her people 
should be considered and deferred to than the manner 
in which the obsequies were carried out. There was first a 
quiet assembling of her own kinsfolk and servants at her 
own home. The latter part of the first day was the time 
for the naval display; the morning of the second that for 
the army in London. 

She had always a dislike to the black trappings com- 
monly used, and desired that black should be avoided as 
far as possible in the hangings and appurtenances used 
at her funeral, preferring purple and white before these, 
and even that black horses should be dispensed with. 
As in the case of the King of Italy, who went to his grave 
coffined in white and gold only a few short months before 
in Rome, so was our Queen also to be buried. In white 
she was borne from her dwelling, while the bright color of 
her standard and the crown and the two orbs, belonging 
from of old to her sovereign office, shone as they lay upon 
the crimson, blue and gold, and white of Britain's Imperial 
banner. 

At Osborne, with the great candelabra around her, and 
her faithful servants and soldiers keeping watch and 
ward, she lay in the room where she had seen her daughter 
Princess Alice married. Now the pictures were covered, 
and the room transformed into the likeness of a chapel. 
The paintings displayed were on the subject of the life of 
our Lord, and the furniture and ornaments necessary in 
this chapel were gifts from the Empress Frederick and 
others of her loving children. 

So she lay until the day came for the last journey of 
her mortal body. The winter's sun shone brightly as 
the mourners formed up behind the gun-carriage which 
had been driven by the artillerymen under the portico 
where she had so lately gone forth for her drives about the 
island. The princes in uniform, the princesses walking 
behind them, and all on foot, passed from the door opening 
on that court which the Queen had enclosed on three sides 

365 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

by the Italian architecture of her home, out to the long 
avenue of ilex which she had planted, and the boughs of 
which now all but meet above the broad roadway to the 
entrance gates. Thence down the hill to the red-roofed 
town and to the banks of the Medina, and so on board 
her little yacht, the Alberta, which she had used so often 
in crossing from and to the mainland, or for a brief after- 
noon cruise in the hot summer days. 

At the mouth of the river was the guard-ship, the Aus- 
tralia, which was to give the signal for the fleet's salute. 
There, stretched away to the eastward from that guard- 
ship, the magnificent array of battle-ships and cruisers 
lay upon the waters to the distant horizon off Portsmouth. 
For leagues along the gray wintry waters the Hne of the 
British fleet was visible, and far off, near Ryde, could be 
seen other war-ships, apart from the regular rank of the 
floating forts that lay so low and so darkly on the silver 
tide. These others were the ships of the Germans, and 
yet another powerful vessel under the command of a gal- 
lant French adiniral. And then, near the Medina, as the 
Alberta steamed slowly away from her pier, were a num- 
ber of sharp, low-hulled, black vessels, the destroyers — the 
advance guard to the yacht of the Queen of the Sea — which 
slowly glided from the estuary into the broader waters of 
the Solent. The long, low destroyers formed in proces- 
sional order before it. Then from the guard-ship broke 
fire and smoke at the cannon's mouth, and loudly, near 
at hand and lessening in volume of sound as the salute 
proceeded, came the flash and report from one ship after 
another along that line of eleven miles, the minute-guns 
answering from ironside to ironside, and then flashing 
and rolling forth again their thunder from the west to the 
east in continuous shocks of sound. 

And the black hulls in advance sped slowly on down 
the mighty line, and the silver and gray of the sea was 
clouded with the smoke, which, drifting in a haze that 
became golden as the sun declined, was brightened by 
stronger light near Portsmouth, whose people, in dense, 

366 



THE PASSING OF THE QUEEN 

black, silent masses, fringed all the shore. They saw 
the dark advance guard of the flotilla coming through the 
haze. They then made out the little yacht with its bright 
standard, ahead of the two larger vessels, the Osborne 
and the Victoria and Albert, which in turn were ahead 
of the great gray Hohenzollern, the floating palace of the 
German Emperor. 

All glided slowly into harbor, passing Nelson's old 
flag-ship, the Victory, while the gleam of evening light 
remained for a time bright and clear. In the harbor that 
night the yacht flotilla remained, waiting for the morn- 
ing, when the railway journey began, and London was 
reached — London with all her people waiting along street 
and park and station — every man bareheaded and every 
woman with some mark of mourning. The silence seemed 
as though one were looking at dumb masses through 
a glass that prevented sound from coming to the ears. 
Here, past the ranks of troops in great coats, fringing 
the roadway which they kept clear, the King, the German 
Emperor, the princes, and others rode, cloaked and plumed, 
carriages conveying the princesses, while officers of the 
household and others marched on foot. No disorder 
took place, but the pressure of the crowd was so great 
that the heavy iron railings of the park gave way before it. 

Only two trains left the Great Western station for Wind- 
sor. One was filled by the ambassadors and other visitors ; 
and soon afterwards the second was seen by those who 
watched from the walls of Windsor Castle to traverse 
the sinuous course of the viaduct and bridge over the 
Thames. This was the train that included among its 
cars the Queen's own travelling carriage, which had been 
made with a wide door to allow her chair to enter during 
those last years when she could not go far on foot. Alas ! 
now the width of the entrance had made it to be the chosen 
vehicle for the crimson, blue, and white draped coffin. 

As soon as this had been carried to the gun-carriage at 
Windsor, the gunner's horses became restive, owing to 
the long wait they had endured in the cold, and the guard 

367 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

of honor of bluejackets seized their chance to render a 
last service by assisting the gunners to unharness the 
horses, and by putting themselves in the place of the team. 
The change was made with marvellous quickness and 
silence, and the band of straw hats and white shirts, with 
the broad, blue, falling collars, drew the heavy burden 
with ease and certainty up the ascent to the road bordering 
the ancient fosse, below the walls reared by Henry III., 
then down the street to the beginning of the Long Walk, 
and so up to that last bit of the great three-mile-long 
avenue, traversing its last and most open section from the 
gate to the Castle grounds, up to the archway between the 
York and the Lancaster towers, through the Upper Ward, 
and then, passing the Norman gateway, down the Lower 
Ward to the west door of the great Chapel of St. George. 

Except within the Castle, where troops only were allowed 
to be stationed, there were many people assembled. These 
had thronged all the day before to see the thousands of 
beautiful wreaths of flowers sent in token of sorrow to 
be laid near the Queen. Their blossoms filled all the 
cloisters and all the grass space enclosed by the cloisters. 
They made the whole of this plot of ground one bright 
garden bed of bloom ; they lined all the base of the outside 
walls of the church, and were piled in beautiful profusion 
within the Wolsey Chapel. 

Within St. George's the mass of the congregation was 
confined to the nave. The invited visitors were in the 
chancel, the mourners marching in the procession filled 
the choir as they followed the dead, and streamed in their 
bright uniforms, filling the central space with color — for 
their great-coats had been laid aside — as they passed 
into the candle-lit shadows of the church. 

Here glorious music, beloved by the Queen, rose from 
organ and choristers. The white coffin, with its gleaming 
crown and orbs, and with the beautiful colorings of the 
silk standard covering it as a pall, was lifted on to the 
bier above the throng standing around it in their black 
and scarlet and gold. The words of hope and peace and 

368 



THE PASSING OF THE QUEEN 

faith of the burial service were said ; the herald proclaimed 
the departure of one mighty sovereign and the accession 
of King Edward VII., and then gradually the mourners 
left, and the banners in gorgeous array above the dark 
carved pinnacles of the chancel walls drooped alone over 
the Guardsmen, who, in their bearskins and with arms 
reversed, remained to watch over the dead. 

Guests and representatives of foreign powers passed 
away to the Castle above or, returning through the gate 
of Henry VIII., in some instances went direct to London, 
and so over sea. Only the family remained in the Castle 
for the last rites on the morrow. On that last morning 
of this sad pilgrimage, one of those tales which, even if 
fanciful, possess a certain poetry, from the sentiment 
that gives birth to the idea, was heard to the effect that a 
child had noticed two gray doves fly out from St. George's 
archway to wing their way slowly in advance of the pro- 
cession to the grounds to which the mourners were setting 
out. It revived in some the memory of the old belief that 
the dove, taking its place near the window of the dying, 
was the embodiment of another soul waiting to receive 
the one about to join it. 

Yet another fancy was heard that day. In far-off 
South Africa a Zulu chief, on hearing of the death of the 
great White Queen, said, with a simple sorrow: "Then 
I shall see another star in the sky." 

Now, again on a gun-carriage, this time horsed by bays, 
the artillery team proudly and quietly took their burden, 
and, followed by the family and those allied to her by 
marriage, the Queen was again taken through her ancient 
fortress. This time it was down the descent towards 
the forest, and all those connected with Windsor were 
allowed to line the roadway, the Life Guards, in their long 
crimson cloaks, keeping clear the route. At the foot of 
the slope, the Guards relieved these, and the train of cloaked 
figures turned into the Frogmore road, which was kept 
private, save for the soldiers still forming a living avenue. 
The pipers blew their lament in front, muffled drums 

a A 369 



VICTORIA R. I. HER LIFE AND EMPIRE 

rolled out plaintive notes of subdued sorrow, and the 
bands relieved them at intervals ; and so, with lamentation 
and solemn dignity, her children and grandchildren and 
great-grandchildren following her, our dear Queen was 
brought to where she would be at rest beside her Prince. 
In the tomb, sunk into the gray granite sarcophagus, 
his cof&n was seen, and upon it lay the sword that he wore. 
Her own was hf ted, and then slowly lowered by her faithful 
Life Guards until it lay by his. For thirty-nine years 
the loving spirits had been separated. How long it seems, 
and yet what an unfelt moment in the being of the Eternal I 

"Death's Angel to the Island went 
And took Her from the Throne, 
But not from place pre-eminent 
Within our hearts by sorrow rent. 
Yet proud one love to own. 

" The love to Her who, now at rest, 
Is mourned Her Empire through; 
Whom men of alien nations blessed. 
Whose love the poor and the distressed 
Could tell was quick and true. 

"For over sixty years Her reign 

Had been so full of good, 
No honest homage sounded vain. 
No prayers that Time might long retain 

Her Empress widowhood. 

"We took Her silent form to glide 
Where reached from shore to shore 
Her glorious Fleet. Each war-ship's side 
Rang, mile on mile, above the tide. 
The Queen's salute once more! 

"And through Her city, mightiest. 
Her Army stood, where rode 
Her kindred monarchs, and the best 
Of those whose warring could attest 
Where honor brightest glowed. 
370 



THE PASSING OF THE QUEEN 

" We brought Her to where Windsor shows 
Her church, her walls, her tower; 
A dream in stone, whose river flows 
Beneath fair wooded slopes, and knows 
The secret of Her power. 

"The power of love was Hers that strives 
Through holiest charity. 
The need supremest in our lives. 
That through the might of God deprives 
The grave of victory! 

"Then last we laid Her down, where love 
With her dear Prince had been. 
And prayed our earthly love may prove 
A splendor caught from God above. 
Like Hers, who reigned our Queen!" 




INDEX 

AbDUE, kZTAZ, 273. visits Paris, 236; visits Pales- 

Aberdeen, Lord, 124, 172, 217, tine, 264-271 ; marriage of, 271 ; 
219. at public functions, 274 ; his 

Adelaide, Queen, 20, 41, 45, 67, wedding-gift and recovery from 
108. illness, 278; at St. Petesburg, 

Africa, South, 298 ; war in, 335, 283 ; visits India, 292-297 ; at 
336, 338. opening of Law Courts, 305 ; 

Albert, Prince Consort, birth of, on housing of working-classes, 
18 ; infancy of, 21 ; his mes- 308 ; with brothers, 316, 329 ; 
sage to Princess Victoria, 41 ; accession of, 363, 364. 

his first visit, 50, 51 ; his second Albert Victor, Prince, death of, 
visit, 100-108; his letter to 327. 

Stockmar, 105, 106 ; views on Alexander II., Tsar, 282-286 ; 
his marriage, 107, 108; his visits England, 289, 290. 

precedence and household, no; Alexandra, Princess of Wales 
his allowance, no; his mar- (her Majesty the Queen), 271; 
riage, IIl-Il5;in robes of the attends public functions, 274; 
Garter, 113; his attitude tow- with Prince Albert Victor, 
ards State affairs, 117 ; accident 316, 323. 

to, 119; at the meeting of the Alfred, Prince, Duke of Edin- 
Palace of Westminster Commis- burgh, as "Autumn," 248; 
sion, 124-126; as Edward III., in Dublin, 279; marriage of, 
137 ; as a musician, 135 ; his 281-289 ; death of, 338. 
daily life, 139, 140 ; death of his Alice, Princess, birth of, 141. 
father, 150 ; Louis Philippe's Antwerp, 170. 
opinion of him, 164, 165 ; his Argyll, 8th Duke of, 188 ; de- 
birthplace, 171 ; as Chancellor scribes Queen's visits, 189 ; 
of Cambridge University, 192 ; Duchess of, 188, 189. 
inaugurates the Great Ex- Army, 224 ; review of, 324, 325. 
hibition, 203 - 210 ; proposes Arthur, Prince, marriage of, 
changes in army, 224 ; vindi- 303 ; with brothers, 316, 326. 
cated, 231, 232; visits Paris, Arundel Castle, 176-178. 
236-238 ; entitled Prince Con- 
sort, 238 ; his letter to Princess BALMORAL, 138, 139, 155-198, 
Royal, 250 ; his illness and 232. 

death, 254-260 ; anniversary of Battles — Aliwal, 154, 156, 221, 
his death, 262 ; statue of, 272 ; 222 ; Alma, Balaklava, graves. 
Queen's reference to, 317. 222-224 '> Balbek, 221 ; Chil- 

Albert Edward, Prince of Wales lianwallah, 158; Ferozeshah, 
(King Edward the Seventh), 156 ; Goojerat, 158 ; Inkerman, 
birth of, 126 ; christening of, 224, 225 ; Kalafat, Sinope, 217 ; 
127, 161 ; Earl of Dublin, 202 ; Malakhoff, 228 ; Mamelon, Re- 

373 



INDEX 



dan, 228 ; Meanee, 154 ; Mood- Dalmeny Park, 140. 



kee, 154 
Beatrice, Princess, birth of, 229; 

marriage of, 313. 
Belgium, 8. 

Benson, Archbishop, 332, 333. 
Brighton PaviUon, 72. 



Davys, Rev. George, 27, 35, 

47; diary of, 53-58. 
D'Herbillon, General, 239. 
Delhi, 241, 243, 244. 
Derby, Earl of, 93. 
Devonshire, Duke of, 120, l68. 



Bruce, General, 260, 264, 267; Dhuleep Singh, Maharajah, 159, 

Mrs., 262, 263. 249. 

Buccleuch, Duke of, 140, 182, Diamond Jubilee, 333, 334. 

193 ; Duchess of, 131, 185. Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Bea- 

Bucldngham, Duke of, 165-167. consfield, 89, 90, 172, 290, 297, 

Buckingham Palace, 68; cos- 301. 

tume ball at, 211 ; garden par- Dock, opening Southampton, 326. 

ties at, 325, 338 ; history of, Douro, Lady, 96. 

340, 341 ; description of, 341, Dublin, 201, 337. 

342. Dufiferin and Ava, Lord, 309. 

Biinsen, George de, 52, 170; Dunkeld, 141, 182. 

Baroness, 127, 131-133, 192-194. 

Edinburgh, Holyrood Palace, 

Cambridge, Duke of, 10, 68, 151- 

114, 164, 2X1, 324. Elgin, Lord, 241. 

Cambridge, royal visit to, 148, Elgin marbles, 5. 

192-194. EUesmere, Lord, 178 ; on Crimean 

Campbell, Colonel, 244. War, 229. 

Canada, rebellion in, 310-312. Eugenie, Empress, 212 ; at Wind- 



Canning, Mr., 4, 6 ; Lady, 196 ; 

Lord, 241, 247. 
Cashmere, 296. 
Cawnpore, 241. 
Charlotte, Princess, 8, II, 43. 
Claremont House, 28, 43, 57, 

164, 176, 304. 
Clarence, Duke of, 10. 
Clark, Sir J., 254, 256-258. 
Cleveland, recollections of the 

Duchess of, 59, 60. 
Clyde, Lord, 158, 274. 
Cobden, R., 307. 
Coburg, Ernest, Duke of, 50, France, 8, 231, 276, 277, 290 



sor, 233, 234 ; receives the 
Queen, 236. 
Exhibitions — opening of Great, 
204-209 ; International Fish- 
eries, 306 ; Indian and Colonial, 
315-318; Liverpool and Edin- 
burgh, 317. 

Feodore, Princess, 21 ; mar- 
riage of, 33, 54, 55. 

Fisheries, American, 306 ; Cana- 
dian, 306. 

Fitzwilliam, Lady Anne, 77, 82. 



loi, 108, 171, 247. 
Comte de Paris, 257. 
Connaught, Duchess of, 303. 



Frederick William, Prince of 
Prussia, 238, 249; in Jubilee 
procession, 322. 



Conyngham, Lord, 61, 62, 65, 77. Frogmore, ball at, 252; mauso- 



Cowes, West, 313 ; regatta at, 

332. 
Cowper, Lady Fanny, 77, 82, 

III, 112. 
Crown, 81, 365. 
Crystal Palace, 203. 



Dalkeith Palace, 140, 141, 
190. 



leum at, 263, 350, 364, 369. 
Funeral, the Queen's, passing 
through London, 367 ; at Wind- 
sor, 366, 368 ; at Frogmore, 370. 

Galilee, Lake of, 269, 270. 
Gems — Koh-i-noor, 159, 160 ; 

" Nassick," 160. 
George the Fourth, 2-6, 38. 



374 



INDEX 



George the Third, 342. 
Gladstone, W. E., 290 ; death of 

334, 335- 
Gleichen, Count, 34. 
Gloucester, Duchess of, 1 33. 
Gough, Sir Hugh, 155, 157, 159. 
Grey, Lord, 65, 173. 
Grey, Sir G., 241 ; General, 

259- 
Grimston, Lady Mary, 77, 82, 

III. 
Guernsey, 179. 
Gviildhall, State visit to, 213. 

Hampton Court, 8, 164. 

Hardinge, Sir Henry, 154, 156. 

Havelock, General, 243, 246. 

Hay, Lady Ida, ill, 112. 

Helena, Princess, birth of, 173, 
249, 259 ; marriage of, 273. 

Henry, Prince, of Battenberg, 
313 ; death of, 331. 

Henry, Prince, of Prussia, 332, 
362. 

JHesse, Grand Duke of, 330, 332. 
,' Hospitals — Scutari, 229; Netley 
- founded, 238 ; visited, 272 ; Lon- 
don, 301, 321 ; Diamond Jubilee 
Fund, 333 ; visited by the Queen, 
336. 

Howard, Lady E., ill, 112; 
Lady M., Ill, I12. 

Howley, Archbishop, 47, 61, 
65, 78. 79- 

Humbert, King of Italy, 338 . 

Hymn, "Peace I Perfect Peace I" 
261. 

Imperial Institute, 323, 329. 

India, 154-160 ; consolidation of, 
251 ; visited by Prince of 
Wales, 292-297 ; investiture of 
Star of, 294 ; proclamation of 
Empress of, 297. 

Japan, withdrawal of occupy- 
ing force from, 291. 

Jenner, Sir W., 253-258 

Jubilee, procession, 321-324 ; cele- 
brations, 321-325. 

Kensington Palace, 14-17; 
visited by Queen, 331. 



^' 



Kent, Duchess of, 13, 19, 57, 
102, in; letter of, 206, 207, 
248 ; death of, 252, 253. 

Kent, Duke of, 11-14, 19, 20. 

Lahore, 158, 159, 242. 

Lansdowne, Lord, 124. 

Law Courts, opening of, 304 ; 

Birmingham, 318. 
Lawrence, Sir J., 159, 160, 241, 

242 ; Sir Henry, 241-245. 
Legislation — taxation, 3 ; Re- 
gency bill, 40 ; India, 251 ; 

conspiracy, 251 ; housing of 

working-classes, 308. 
Lehzen, Baroness, 21, 24, 27, 

28, 54. 57, 70. 
Leiningen, Prince Charles of, 

33, 45 ; Prince Ernest of, 34. 
Lennox, Lady Caroline, 77, 82, 

III, 112. 

Leopold, King of the Belgians, 
8, 69 ; letters of, loi ; visited, 
148, 170, 249. 

Leopold, Prince, Duke of Al- 
bany, marriage and death of, 

303. 

Light Brigade, charge of, 224. 

Literature, magazine, 97 ; Lord 
Macaulay, 124, 297 ; " Bitter 
Cry of Outcast London," 291, 
308, 312; Sir W. Besant, 321, 

Louis, Napoleon III., 212 ; at 
Windsor, 233, 234 ; entertains 
the Queen, 236-238; attempted 
assassination of, 251 ; retires 
to England, 277. 

Loms, Prince of Hesse, 170, 263. 

Louis Philippe, 144, 145 ; visits 
Windsor, 162-165 ; his flight 
from Paris, 174-176. 

Louise, Princess (Duchess of Ar- 
gyll), 185; marriage of, 277; 
her statue of the Queen, 332. 

Louise, Queen of the Belgians, 
121, 145. 

Lucknow, 241, 245 ; Residency, 

295- 
Lyttelton, Lady, 161, 173. 

Marie, Duchess of Edinburgh, 

281-289. 
Marlborough House, 25. 



375 



INDEX 



Mausoleum at Frogmore, 350. 

Mayor Lord. 280. 364. 

Medals — coronation, 81, 83 ; sil- 
ver-wedding, 306; Albert, 321. 

Melbourne, Lord, 62, 64, 66, 
68, 71, 72, 85-87, 109, 117, 
121, 151. 

Moscow, 286,' 287. 

Murray, Sir Charles, 69-72. 



73 ; decoration of, 123 ; com- 
mission of, 123-125 ; opening of, 
127, 128; dissension in, 216; 
coalition, 2l6 ; attitude of, tow- 
ards Russia, 218; opened by 
the Queen, 301. 

Pashas — Osman, 299 ; Zuleiman, 
300. 

Passover, Samaritan, 267, 268. 



Music, 117; Italian opera, 131 ; Peel, Sir Robert, 65, 93 ; on office 



patronage, 98-100, 120, 125; 

seat of, 168; death of, 172. 
Sullivan and opera, 307, 316 ; Perth, reception of the Queen at 
Gounod's 'Death and Life," Dupplin Castle, 140. 

Pets, dogs, 350. 
Philanthropy, 321, 328. 
Plots — Cato Street conspiracy, 3 ; 

Jacobite, 15. 
Poetry, of the Georgian era, 9 ; 

Southey on Princess Victoria, 



Mendelssohn visits Bucking- 
ham Palace, 134, 135 ; Sir A. 



315. 
Myrtle, the Queen's, 281 



Napier, Lord R. C, 296; Sir 
Charles, 120, 153. 

Napoleon the Great, 3. 

Navy, 7 ; in Crimea, 221 ; aug- 
mented, 230 ; fleet sent to Con- 
stantinople, 299 ; review of, 324 ; 
at Diamond Jubilee, 333 ; Chan- 
nel fleet, 337 ; bluejackets, 368 



46 ; Mrs. Browning on the ac- 
cession, 66 ; on the young 
Queen, 73 ; ode of Tennyson, 
215, 316 ; Omar Khayyam's, 
280. 



Nicholas I., Czar, visits Windsor, Prussia, King of, 132, 133, 170. 
^50-153 ; friction with, 216 ; Punjaub annexed, 154, 159, 316 
death of, 232 ; manifesto of, 317 



Nightingale, Miss Florence, 229. 
Norfolk, Duke of, 68, 80, 177; 

Augusta, Duchess of, 140, 178, 

184. 
Normanby, Lord, 109. 
Northvunberland, Duchess of, 40. 

O'CONNELL, Daniel, 94. 
Osborne, first visit to, 45 ; pur- 



Raglan, Lord, 223; Field-Mar- 
shal, 225, 229, 230; death of, 

235. 

Railways, Glasgow and Coat- 
bridge, funeral train, 364-367. 

Regalia, Scottish, 140, 192. 

Religion, in the forties, 137-139 ; 
the " Disruption," 141 ; Sab- 
batarianism, 143. 



chased, 173 ; old Osborne Lodge, Reviews, of Life Guards and 



Whippingham Church, 313 ; 
marriage of Princess Beatrice 
at, 313, 314 ; description of, 351, 
352. 



Grenadiers, 71, 106, 107; at 
Windsor, 153, 280 ; Volunteer, 
273, 322 ; of Camel Corps, 313 ; 
at Aldershot, 324 ; naval, 324 ; 
of troops from Africa, 338. 
Paget, Lady Adelaide, 77, 82, Roberts, Lord, 298, 333, 335, 362, 
III, 112; Lady Eleanor, iii, RoUe, Lord, 80, 81, 84. 
112; Lord Alfred, 196. Rosebery, Earl of, 140; Premier, 

Painting, 97, 124, 125; British 330. 

artists, 136, 178 ; Mr. Frank Rosenau Castle, 171, 172. 
Buckland, 307. Roumania, 299, 301 ; visit of 

Palmerston, Lady, 178 ; Lord, 65, Queen to, 326 ; marriage of 



124, 133, 173, 178, 208, 216, 217, 
248, 251. 
Parliament, first House of Lords, 



Prince at, 327. 
Royal, Princess, birth of, 1 18; 
christening of, I19, 161, 170; 



376 



INDEX 



visits Paris, 236, 237 ; betrothal 
of, 238 ; marriage of, 247-250, 
285 ; silver wedding of, 306, 
323. 

Russell, Lord John, 88, 109, 124, 
133 ; Prime Minister, 173, 178, 
196 ; resignation of, 2l6. 

Russin, Crimean War. 216-230; 
atrocities in, 225, 230 ; wedding 
in, 282 ; Church of, 288 ; its war 
with Turkey, 299-301. 

St. James's, Palace, ball at, 44 ; 

Chapel Royal, III. 
Salisbury, Marquis of, 301, 330. 
Scone Palace, 140. 
Shah visits England, 279, 280. 
Sidmouth, visit to Walbrook Cot- 
tage at, 19, 20. 
Sieges — Mooltan, 158; Sebasto- 

pol, 222 ; intrenchments at Se- 

bastopol, 227 ; fall of Sebasto- 

pol, 228, 229; Redan, 228; 

Kars, 230; Lucknow, 243; 

Delhi, 244 ; Plevna, 299. 
Sophia, Princess, 133 ; of Prussia, 

328. 
Soult, Marshal, 75, 88. 
Stafford House, 95, 133, 226. 
Stanhope, Lady Wilhelmina, 77 ; 

her account of the coronation, 

82-84, 112; Lord, 124. 
Stanley, Lady Augusta, 260, 262, 

282, 284; Dean, 262-271, 281- 

290. 
Steam-hammer, Nasmyth, 210. 
Stockmar, Baron, 50, 65, 71, 106, 

216, 219. 
Suez Canal, 297. 
Surrey, Earl of, 81, 83, 84. 
Sussex, Augustus Frederick, 

Duke of, 25, 61, 63, 68, 112, 

114, 133; death of, 149, 150. 
Sutherland, Harriet, Duchess of, 

77, 94-96, III, 178, 185, 188, 

189, 193, 194, 260. 

Taymouth Castle, 183, 185, 

196. 
Teck, Duchess of, 207, 329. 
Toys, 26, 35, 36. 
Transvaal, annexed, 298 ; war in, 

335-339. 



Treaties — after Crimean War, 
229 : at Washington, 277 ; San 
Stefano, 300; Congress at 
Berlin, 300. 

Troops, leave for the East, 220, 
221 ; sufifering of, 227 ; return 
of Guards, 230 ; presented with 
medals, 234 ; Canadian Volun- 
teers, 311, 312; Canadian Mili- 
tia, 312 ; from the Soudan, 313 ; 
at Imperial Institute, 329 ; at 
Diamond Jubilee, 332, 333 ; 
from South Africa, 339. 

Tuileries, 236, 237. 

Tunbridge Wells, 47. 

Turkey, 217, 299-301. 

Vessels — H.M.S. Trafalgar, 
120; yacht Royal George, 140; 
Trident, 141 ; screw propeller, 
210 ; Alabama, 278 ; Australia, 
313, 366 ; Sheilah, 314 ; Alberta 
and torpedo-boat destroyers, 
366 ; Osborne, Victoria and 
Albert, Hohenzollern, Victory, 
366. 

Victoria, Queen, birth of, 17; 
christening and vaccination of, 
18; at Sidmouth, 19, 20; at 
Kensington, 21, 22; at Tun- 
bridge Wells, 22 ; anecdotes of, 
22 ; descriptions of, 26, 27, 28-31, 
41 ; instruction of, 27 ; at Clare- 
mont, 28, 29 ; at Windsor, 29 ; at 
Kensington, 32, 33 ; her knowl- 
edge of rank, 35 ; instructors of, 
36, 37, 40 ; at first ball, 38 ; at 
Broadstairs, at Malvern, 40 ; at 
her first play, 40, 41 ; her first 
drawing-room, 41 ; visits the Isle 
of Wight, 41, 45 ; her Welsh tour, 
43 ; her first public function, 
44 ; her first visit to Osborne, 
45 ; visits Ascot, and is con- 
firmed at the Chapel Royal, St. 
James's, 47; her summer tour, 
1835, 48, 49 ; her attitude to pol- 
itics, 50 ; attains her majority, 
51, 52; reminiscences of her 
tutor, 53, 59 ; her accession, 61, 
65 ; her first council, 63-70 ; pro- 
claimed, 66 ; presides over an- 
other council, 67 ; at Windsor, 



377 



INDEX 



69-71 ; opens Parliament, 73, 
128; her coronation, 74-84; re- 
ceives the holy sacrament, 81 ; 
her home life, 85, 86 ; her busi- 
ness habits, 86 ; her advisers, 
87-94 ; her female friends, 94-96, 
98-100; betrothed, 100-103 ; dec- 
laration of her marriage, 109, 
no; marriage of , Il2-ii5;her 
life attempted, 128-130 ; as a vo- 
calist, 134, 135 ; at Plantagenet 
ball, 137 ; visits Scotland, 140, 
141 ; visits the Chateau d'Eu, 
144, 145 ; visits Buckingham, 
165-167; visits Strathfieldsaye, 
167-169 ; visits Germany, 170, 
171 ; visits Arundel, 177, 178 ; 
visits Cornwall and the Chan- 
nel Islands, 179 ; visits Scot- 
land, 1 82-1 9 1 ; visits Cambridge, 
192-194 ; visits Harrow, 194 ; at 
Balmoral, 195-197; visits Ire- 
land, 199-202; at Great Ex- 
hibition, 206-209; at Stuart 
ball, 211 ; visits Gioildhall, 213 ; 
at Liverpool and Manchester, 
213, 214; at Stafford House, 
226 ; visits Chatham, 232 ; en- 
tertains Louis Napoleon, 233, 
234 ; visits Crystal Palace, 
234 ; distributes medals to 
Crimean troops, 235 ; visits 
Paris, 236, 237 ; visits Cher- 
bourg, 239 ; attends Prince 
Consort, 254-259; at Prince 
Consort's anniversary service, 
262, 263 ; consecration of Prince 
Consort's mausoleum, 263, 264 ; 
her partial retirement, 272; 
unveils Prince Consort's statue, 
272 ; visits Coburg and Bel- 
gium, la3rs stone of Albert 
Hall, reviews Volunteers, visits 
Lucerne, 273 ; explanation of 
her retirement, 273, 274 ; gives 
thanks for Prince of Wales's 
recovery, 278 ; visits Victoria 
Park, 281 ; welcomes Duchess 
of Edinburgh, 289 ; opens Par- 
liament, 301, 302; visits Lon- 
don Hospital, 302 ; her Scottish 
ancestry, 304 ; opens the Law 
Courts, 304, 305 ; holds a Draw- 



ing-room, opens International 
Fisheries Exhibition, 306 ; ap- 
pears more in public, 315 ; opens 
Indian and Colonial Exhibi- 
tion, 316, 317 ; opens Birming- 
ham Law Courts, 318 ; visits 
Cannes and Aix-les-Bains, 319 ; 
receives congratulations, visits 
Whitechapel, 320 ; receives Al- 
bert Medal, 321 ; attends Jubilee 
service, holds reviews, and 
lays stone of Imperial In- 
stitute, 322, 323 ; opens South- 
ampton dock, 326 ; opens 
Imperial Institute, 329 ; visits 
Coburg, 330, 332 ; unveils a 
statue of herself at Kensington 
Palace, 331 ; visits Florence, 
Darmstadt, and Nice, 332 ; cele- 
brates Diamond Jubilee, 333, 
334 ; her interest in the South 
African War, 336-339 ; visits 
Ireland, 337 ; gives garden- 
party, 338; visits Balmoral, 
fails in health, 338, 361 ; her 
method of work, 349, 350; her 
foreign and home life, 351, 357 ; 
lamented, 359, 360; her last 
illness, 361, 362 ; her death, 363 ; 
lying in state, 365 ; her journey 
to Frogmore, 366-370 ; extracts 
from letters, 121, 122, 125, 127, 
146-148, 150-153, 162-165; on 
the Great Exhibition, 206-209; 
on the Czar, 217, 218-220; on 
the war in the Crimea, 223, 
224, 230-232; letters of con- 
dolence, 224, 225, 231 ; on 
Louis Napoleon, 234 ; on the 
Prince Consort, 239 ; on the 
marriage of the Princess Royal, 
247-250 ; on the Prince Consort's 
illness, 254-260 ; on Thanksgiv- 
ing Day, 278 ; on the Duke of 
Edinburgh's marriage, 281, 
282 ; on the death of Princess 
Alice, 303 ; her thanks to the 
nation. Jubilee, 1887, 323; her 
message to her people on the 
Diamond Jubilee, 334. 
Villiers, Lady Sarah, ill, II2. 



Wars — Burmese, 5, 309; Graeco- 



378 



INDEX 



Turkish, 5, 330; Sikh, 154, 158, 
159, 242 ; Crimean, 216-230 ; Ind- 
ian Mutiny, 240 - 247 ; Prusso 
Danish, 272 ; Franco - German, 
276; arbitration, 278; Afghan, 
298 ; Russo - Turkish , 299 - 301 ; 
Servo-Bulgarieui, 314 ; Ashantee, 
331 ; South African, 335, 336, 337. 

Wellington, Duke of, 62, 65, 68, 81, 
84, 87, 109, 115, 153, 167-169, 209 ; 
at Stuart ball, 212; death of, 
215. 

West, Lady Elizabeth, iii, 112. 

Westall, Mr. G., 36. 

Westminster Hall, 305. 

William I., King of Prussia, 161. 



William II., Grcrman Emperor, 332, 
362, 363- 

William IV., 7 - 10 ; coronation 
procession of, 52 ; death of, 60 ; 
funeral of, 68, 342. 

Williams, General Sir W. F., 230. 

Windsor Castle, 233 ; home life at, 
85 ; St. George's Chapel, 368 ; 
Guard Chamber, 233 ; descrip- 
tion of, 334-350; view from, 
346, 347- 

Wolseley, Lord, 324, 331, 333. 

York, Frederick, Duke of, 6 ; Prince 
George, Duke of, 329, 332 ; Duch- 
ess of, 329. 



THE END 



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